BR  325  .S42  1916 

Seebach,  Margaret  Rebecca 

Himes,  1875-1948. 
Martin  of  Mansfeld 


DR.    MARTIN"    LUTHER 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


MARGARET  R.  SEEBACH 


NEW  YORK 

Missionary  Education  Movement  of  the 

United  States  and  Canada 

1916 


Copyright,  1916 
Missionary  Education  Movement  of 
United  States  and  Canada 


TO  MY  SONS 

FOR   WHOM   I    CAN   WISH   NO   BETTER   GIFTS 

THAN   THE    COURAGE    AND    FAITH 

OF   MARTIN    LUTHER 


ILLUSTEATIONS 


PAGE 

Dr.   Martin  Luther Frontispiece 


Martin  Luther's  Parents 14 

' '  The  House  of  the  Cottas  Was  Warm  and  Cozy  "  .        .       26 

**I  Found  Something  One  Day  That  Was  Wonderful ''    .      36 

*' Slowly  the  Heavy  Door  Swung  Open"  ....       48 

"Do  You  See  the  People  Thronging  into  Yonder  Door?"       92 

**No,  There  Are  Ninety-five  Such  Statements,  or  Theses"     110 

** Master  Philip  Was  Beloved  by  All  the  Students"  .     116 

"Here  I  Stand.     I  Cannot  Do    Otherwise"   .         .         .140 

"We  Want  Nobody  but  Dr.  Martin  Luther"    .         .         .144 

* '  To  All  but  the  Lord  of  the  Castle  I  Am  Knight  George  "     150 

"Here  Is  Mistress  Katherine  Luther"     .         .         .         .172 

"Take  the  Baby,  then,  Katie,  Till  I  Get  My  Lute"       .     186 

"You  Would  Not  Think  You  Were  in  the  House  of  a 

Condemned   Heretic  and   Outlaw"       .         .         .         .188 

Translating  the  Bible 190 

The    Wartburg 204 

A  Corner  in  the  Wartburg 204 

Luther's  Eoom 204 


PREFACE 

MANY  years  ago,  a  small  girl  browsing 
about  in  her  grandfather's  library 
found  a  picture  of  a  boy  who  seemed  to  be 
doing  just  w^hat  she  was.  He  had  found 
something  that  interested  him  very  much  in 
a  big  book  that  lay  on  the  floor. 

Of  course,  she  wondered  what  it  was ;  but 
the  words  telling  her  about  the  picture  were 
long  and  hard,  so  she  only  managed  to  learn 
the  boy's  name,  and  that  of  the  big  book 
which  kept  him  so  busy.  She  wanted  to 
know  more  about  him.  Looking  through 
the  book  at  the  other  pictures,  she  found 
one  of  him  as  a  man,  still  busy  with  the  same 
book.  Finally  she  saw  the  picture  of  a  great 
monument,  and  there  the  same  man  stood, 
still  holding  the  same  book. 

She  thought  it  too  bad  that  all  she  could 
find  written  about  him  seemed  to  be  meant 

ix 


PREFACE 


for  grown-ups.  The  more  she  studied  the 
pictures,  the  more  she  came  to  admire  and 
love  the  man  with  the  book.  When  she  grew 
old  enough  to  understand  some  of  the  big 
words,  she  knew  that  this  was  one  of  the 
world's  great  heroes,  and  that  the  book  in 
his  hand  represented  the  secret  of  all  his 
greatness. 

She  always  thought  that  it  was  a  pity 
other  boys  and  girls  could  not  know  about 
him  without  waiting  to  grow  old  enough  to 
read  the  books  that  told  of  him.  Now  she 
will  tell  you,  if  you  listen,  the  true  story  of 
the  boy  with  the  big  book;  for  she  is  sure 
that  if  you  come  to  know  him,  you,  too,  will 
love  and  honor  him,  and  your  lives  will  be 
better  and  stronger  for  having  made  such  a 
friend  as  Martin  of  Mansfeld. 


Margaret  R.  Seebach. 


Hollidaysburg,  Pa. 
June  1, 1916, 


ST.  maktin's  day 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


ST.  martin's  day 

^^/^  OOD  morning,  neighbor  Hans  ?  Wliere 
\JW  are  yon  going  so  early  all  in  your 
Sunday  clothes^" 

It  was  the  eleventh  of  November,  in  the 
year  1483.  The  late  autumn  dawn  was  just 
brightening  over  the  quiet  German  town  of 
Eisleben.  The  old  house-mother,  who  had 
opened  the  door  of  her  little  home  for  a 
breath  of  the  crisp  morning  air,  stood  smil- 
ing at  the  young  man  she  had  hailed  on  his 
early  errand;  and  as  he  stopped  to  answer 
her,  his  dark  face  glowed  with  a  proud  smile. 

'^Good  morning,  and  a  good  day  to  you 
and  yours,  as  it  is  to  me  and  mine!"  was  his 
joyous  answer.  ^^ I  go  to  see  the  priest  about 
the  christening,  good  neighbor!" 

1 


MARTIN  OF  JVIANSFELD 


**The  christening?"  exclaimed  Mother 
Liesel,  excited  at  once. 

*^The  christening?"  echoed  her  husband, 
Gottfried,  hobbling  to  the  door  as  fast  as 
his  rheumatism  would  let  him,  to  look  out 
over  his  wife's  shoulder. 

^^Last  night,"  said  Hans  Luther,  drawing 
his  short  figure  to  its  full  height,  and  feel- 
ing at  least  a  head  taller  than  usual,  ^4ast 
night  *  God  sent  us  a  little  son — our  first- 
born !  And  to-day  he  is  to  be  christened  in 
St.  Peter's  church,  if  the  priest  is  willing." 

*^A  boy?"  ^'A  little  son?"  cried  the 
friendly  old  couple.  *^The  blessing  of  the 
saints  be  upon  him!"  added  pious  Liesel. 
''What  will  he  be  named?" 

''This  is  the  day  of  St.  Martin,"  said 
Hans.  "No  doubt  he  will  be  named  for  the 
holy  saint.  Would  Martin  Luther  not  sound 
well,  think  you?" 

"Aye,  aye!  and  what  will  you  make  of 
him?"  inquired  old  Gottfried  with  a  chuckle. 
"I  wager,  as  you  came  along  so  fast,  it  was 

•Luther  was  born   November    10,   1483. 

2 


ST.  MARTIN'S  DAY 


his  future  you  were  planning!    Will  lie  be 
a  miner,  like  his  father?" 

''I  cannot  say,  Father  Gottfried,"  replied 
the  young  man,  ''that  I  did  not  plan  many 
things  in  my  mind.  If  it  is  in  my  power 
and  he  proves  a  good  scholar,  I  should  like 
to  give  him  a  better  chance  than  I  have 
had.  I  was  thinking  I  might  make  him  a 
lawyer,  or " 

*'0r  a  professor  in  the  university," 
laughed  the  old  man,  ''or  a  priest,  or  a 
bishop,  or  maybe  pope — who  knows*?  A 
wonderful  child,  friend  Hans !  there  is  noth- 
ing he  may  not  become." 

Hans  Luther  laughed  and  shook  his 
head,  starting  again  on  his  way.  The  old 
couple  stood  still  in  the  doorvv^ay,  looking 
after  him  with  kindly  eyes. 

''A  good,  steady  man,"  said  Gottfried, 
approvingly. 

"They  are  good  neighbors,"  said  Liesel. 
^'I  feel  that  I  have  known  them  long,  even 
though  they  have  lived  here  only  a  little 

3 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 

while.  I  must  go  and  see  Gretclien  *  and 
congratulate  her  on  her  boy's  coming.  She 
will  be  a  proud  mother!" 

'*I  wish,"  said  Gottfried,  thoughtfully, 
*'that  I  had  asked  him  if  he  needed  a  loan. 
It  is  but  lately  that  they  moved  here,  and 
now  comes  the  expense  of  the  little  one; 
and  the  priest,  to  be  sure,  will  w^ant  money 
for  the  christening.    It  makes  it  hard!" 

^^Hard,  indeed !"  said  Liesel,  turning  back 
into  the  little  house  to  set  upon  the  table 
the  breakfast  of  black  bread  and  oatmeal 
porridge,  which  latter  was  steaming  in  a 
kettle  over  the  open  fire.  ^^  Already  the 
priest  gets  his  tenth  of  all  we  have — grain, 
grass,  wood,  lambs,  geese,  and  chickens!  A 
tenth  of  all  the  cheese  is  his,  and  the  but- 
ter and  milk ;  even  every  tenth  egg  that  my 
poor  hens  lay  must  the  father  take.  Never 
fear  but  Hans  will  pay  w^ell  for  the  chris- 
tening of  his  little  Martin!  But  he  will 
not   begrudge   it — so   proud   is   he   of   his 

*  Diminutive  of  Margaret,  and  used  in  this  book  as  showing 
interest  and  affection. 


ST.  ]\IxVRTIN'S  DAY 


little  son.    He  does  not  tliink  what  it  will 
cost  to  make  him  a  lawyer!'' 

But,  while  old  Liesel  grmnbled  over  her 
breakfast  porridge,  the  three  bells  of  St 
Peter's  church  were  sounding  gaily  for  the 
saint's  day  just  begun;  and  Hans  Luther 
was  hastening  home  again,  with  a  light 
heart,  through  the  clear  November  sun- 
shine; and  Margaret,  his  wife,  was  croon- 
ing softly  over  her  tiny  boy  the  old-time 
lullaby  : 

*  *  Now  sleep,  now  sleep,  my  little  child ; 
He  loves  thee,  Jesus,  meek  and  mild ; 
Sweet  dreams  he'll  send,  and  happy  fate ; 
He'll  make  thee  wise,  and  good,  and  great. 

0  Jesus,  Master  mild, 

Protect  my  little  child!" 


THE   schoolmaster's  DUNCE 


THE  schoolmaster's  DUNCE 

ALONG  an  unpaved  street  of  the  min- 
ing town  of  Mansfeld,  a  schoolboy- 
was  loitering  his  way  homeward,  late  in 
the  afternoon.  The  rugged  cliffs,  dark  with 
thick  woods  and  pierced  by  the  black  shafts 
of  the  copper  mines,  threw  their  long  shad- 
ows across  the  clustering  roofs  of  the  little 
town,  which,  like  Eisleben,  a  few  miles 
away,  lay  in  the  county  of  Mansfeld. 

Six  months  after  little  Martin  was  born, 
Hans  and  Margaret  Luther  with  their  little 
boy  had  come  to  the  town  of  Mansfeld  to 
live.  They  were  beginning  to  leaiTi,  as  the 
friendly  Gottfried  and  Liesel  had  predicted, 
that  they  must  earn  more  money  if  their 
boy  was  ever  to  have  an  education,  and 

9 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


here  in  Mansfeld  Hans  believed  he  had  a 
better  chance  than  in  Eisleben. 

The  schoolboy  on  his  homeward  way  did 
not  whistle  or  leap ;  indeed,  he  walked  wea- 
rily, and  his  face  was  clouded.  Once  he 
glanced  up  at  the  dark  hill  where  the  castle 
of  the  counts  of  Mansfeld  frowned  over 
the  town;  and  as  he  looked  he  saw  the 
figure  of  a  woman  bent  beneath  a  load  of 
broken  branches,  coming  slowly  along  the 
road  that  led  from  the  forest. 

^  *  It  is  my  mother, ' '  said  the  boy  to  himself. 
''She  has  been  gathering  wood  for  the  fire." 

He  stopped  for  a  moment,  as  though  he 
would  wait  for  her;  then,  feeling  tenderly 
of  a  badly  bruised  shoulder,  he  walked  on 
again,  shaking  his  head,  having  evidently 
decided  that  a  burden  was  not  the  thing  for 
his  back  at  present. 

Another  turning  brought  him  face  to  face 
with  several  men  in  grimy  clothing,  return- 
ing from  their  day 's  work  in  the  mines.  One 
of  them  called  to  him  and  he  waited,  know- 
ing his  father's  voice. 

10 


THE  SCHOOLMASTER^S  DUNCE 

^^riow  is  it  with  the  school,  my  son?'^ 
asked  Hans  Luther,  as  Martin  fell  into  step 
beside  him.  ^^  Are  you  learning  well  ?" 

The  boy  twisted  his  sore  shoulders  un- 
easily and  gave  his  answer  in  a  low  tone. 

*^I  do  not  know,  father,"  he  said.  ^^The 
schoolmaster  says  we  are  all  dunces  and  will 
never  learn  the  Latin. ' ' 

**But  you,  Martin,  you  can  rattle  off  the 
Latin  words  fast  enough,"  said  Hans,  anx- 
iously. ^^He  has  had  time  to  make  a  scholar 
out  of  you,  surely!  Why,  when  you  were 
so  little  that  you  could  not  climb  the  hill  to 
the  schoolhouse,  did  not  our  neighbor's  boy, 
Hans  Emler,  carry  you  up  on  his  back*? 
What  a  little  mite  you  were!" 

And,  with  a  hearty  laugh,  the  father 
struck  his  boy  a  sounding  blow  on  the 
slioulder.  ]\Iartin  winced  with  pain  and 
great  tears  started  from  his  eyes. 

*^How  now?"  cried  Hans,  noticing  how 
the  bov  started  and  shrank.  **Are  vou  so 
tender  that  a  hand  cannot  be  laid  upon 
you*?    What  ails  you,  boy?" 

11 


IMARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


^^My— my  shoulder  is  sore,"  muttered  the 
boy,  unwillingly. 

''Hal  has  the  master  been  beating  you?" 
exclaimed  the  father,  with  sudden  suspi- 
cion. 

^^Yes,"  admitted  Martin,  very  low. 

^'To-day?" 

''Yes,  father." 

''More  than  once?" 

Martin  hesitated  so  long  that  his  father 
became  vexed,  and  cried  out,  sternly, 

"Answer  me,  boy!  how  often  did  he  whip 
you  to-day?" 

"Fifteen  times!"  cried  Martin,  in  des- 
peration. "But  father,  I  could  not  help  it! 
He  asked  me  things  we  had  never  learned, 
and  beat  me  when  I  answered  incorrectly. 
You  will  not  whip  me  again?" 

By  this  time  they  were  at  the  door  of 
the  little  house  where  the  Luthers  made 
their  home.  Several  younger  children  had 
been  playing  on  the  door-step ;  but  just  then 
they  caught  sight  of  the  mother  approach- 

12 


TPIE  SCITOOLIMASTEirS  DUNXE 

ing  with  her  load  of  firewood,  and  started 
on  a  race  to  meet  her. 

Hans  drew  Martin  into  the  house,  and 
gently  commanded  him  to  open  his  coat. 
When  he  saw  the  bruised  shoulders,  the 
father  stood  so  long  in  silence  that  the  boy 
looked  around  fearfully  expecting  to  see  a 
frowning  brow.  But  Hans  only  turned 
away,  bidding  him  gruffly  to  fasten  his 
clothing  again,  which  was  finished  just  as 
the  other  children  came  trooping  back  to 
the  door. 

^^Did  you  see  the  kobolds  in  the  forest, 
mother  r'  questioned  one. 

^^Tell  us  a  story  of  the  gnomes  that  live  in 
the  ground!"  cried  another,  helping  to  pile 
the  sticks  in  the  comer. 

But  the  mother's  quick  eye  had  seen 
Martin  fumbling  at  his  cx)at-collar,  and  she 
put  the  little  ones  aside,  and  went  to  her 
eldest  son  with  a  look  that  questioned  his 
act.  The  bright,  dark  eyes  of  the  boy,  so 
like  her  own,  met  hers  frankly,  and 
straightening    her    wean^    back,    she    said 

13 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


cheerily,  ^^If  the  world  smiles  not  on  you 
and  me,  the  fault  is  ours,  Martin!" 

And  with  this  saying,  which  was  a  great 
favorite  of  hers,  Margaret  Luther  hastened 
to  kindle  her  fire  and  prepare  the  evening 
meal  for  her  hungry  family. 

After  the  simple  supper  had  disappeared 
and  the  children  had  all  gone  to  their  early 
slumbers,  Hans  and  Margaret  sat  beside 
the  dying  embers  on  the  hearth  and  talked 
long  and  earnestly  about  their  plans  and 
wishes  for  Martin. 

^'If  it  had  been  for  a  lie  or  a  theft,"  said 
the  mother,  indignantly,  ^^I  would  not 
think  the  master  did  wrong.  Children  must 
suffer  for  these  things  or  they  grow  up 
wicked.  I  have  with  my  own  hand  whipped 
Martin  even  till  the  blood  came  for  stealing 
a  single  nut.  But  for  not  knowing  the 
strange  words  of  the  Latin !" 

''It  is  not  so  much  the  beatings,"  said 
Hans — for  those  were  the  stern  days,  when 
parents  believed  that  the  rod  was  not  to 
be  spared.    '*  All  boys  are  whipped  in  school. 

14 


^  (^ 


THE  SCHOOLMASTER'S  DUNCE 

But  it  does  not  seem  to  me  that  this  man 
knows  how  to  teach.  I  mean  that  Martin 
shall  have  as  good  schooling  as  I  can  give 
him.  If  only  I  could  afford  to  send  him  to 
Magdeburg !  The  Null  brothers  have  a  good 
school  there.  They  are  not  monks,  l)ut  a 
teaching  brotherhood  who  are  banded  to- 
gether to  educate  boys,  and  who  teach  all 
good  things  by  preaching  and  example. 
Peter  Eeinicke  has  a  son  there." 

**Yes,  Eeinicke!"  said  Margaret.  **He  is 
overseer  of  the  mines,  and  can  well  afford 
to  send  his  son  away  to  school.  But  how 
is  it  with  us  ?  All  these  mouths  to  feed,  and 
the  boy  cannot  even  help!  He  has  no  skill 
at  mining;  but  he  must  go  to  school,  and 
even  that  is  not  good  enough  for  him — he 
must  be  sent  away  to  school,  to  study  with 
rich  men's  sons!  Not  but  what  the  boy  is 
as  bright  as  any  of  them,"  she  added,  with 
a  touch  of  x:>ride. 

^^Well,  well,  Gretchen,"  said  her  hus- 
band, ^^I  can  almost  see  my  way  clear  to 
leasing  a  furnace.    If  I  can  do  that,  I  will 

15 


]MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


begin  the  smelting  of  the  ore  instead  of 
mining,  and  it  will  pay  much  better.  Then 
Martin  shall  go  to  Magdeburg!" 

And  rising,  with  a  yawn,  he  closed  the 
door  for  the  night. 


16 


THE  SINGER  IN  THE  STREET 


n 

THE  SINGER  IN  THE  STREET 

A  LITTLE  company  of  schoolboys  had 
just  set  out  across  snowy  fields  from 
the  city  of  Magdeburg  toward  an  outlying 
village.  The  center  of  interest  in  the  group 
seemed  to  be  a  lad  of  about  fourteen,  whose 
sparkling  eyes  shone  above  cheeks  that 
were  rather  pale  and  wasted,  and  whose 
clear  voice  rang  out  through  the  frosty  air, 
as  he  declared, 

''No,  I  am  quite  well  again,  and  the  walk 
will  do  me  good!" 

Hans  Luther  had  at  last  attained  his 
purpose  of  sending  Martin  to  the  school 
of  the  Null  brothers  at  Magdeburg.  The 
proceeds  of  the  smelting  furnace  yielded 
enough  to  pay  for  the  schooling  and  books, 
but   did   not  provide   board   and   lodging; 

19 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


and  Martin,  like  other  poor  scholars,  had  to 
earn  these  by  singing  from  door  to  door 
and  receiving  food  in  return  from  the  peo- 
ple of  the  city  and  neighboring  villages. 

^^We  heard  that  your  sickness  was  very 
bad,  Martin,"  said  one  of  the  lads  as  they 
trudged  toward  the  village. 

*^I  thought  I  was  about  to  die,"  said 
Martin,  seriously.  ^'I  had  a  burning  fever, 
and,  as  you  know,  the  doctors  say  that  in 
such  a  case  one  must  not  drink  water." 

*^Yes,  I  know  it  only  too  well!"  said  an- 
other. ^^I  thought  my  tongue  would  wither 
in  my  mouth  when  I  was  sick  a  year  ago!" 

''Well,"  said  Martin,  laughing,  ''it  was 
my  good  fortune  that  on  Friday,  which  was 
a  holy  day,  the  people  of  the  house  where 
I  stay  were  all  gone  to  church.  I  was  so 
wretched  that  I  made  up  my  mind  I  would 
have  one  good,  cold  drink,  if  I  died  of  it. 

"I  was  too  weak  to  walk,  but  I  set  out 
to  crawl  on  my  hands  and  knees  to  the 
kitchen.  It  seemed  like  twenty  leagues; 
but  at  last  I  reached  it,  and  there  stood  a 

20 


THE  SINGER  IN  THE  STREET 

great  jug;  and  oh,  thanks  to  St.  Martin, 
it  was  full  of  fresh,  cold  water! 

**So  I  drank  and  drank,  and  when  I 
could  drink  no  more,  I  crawled  back  to  my 
bed  and  fell  asleep.  "When  I  woke,  the 
fever  was  gone,  and  in  a  few  days  I  was 
quite  strong  again." 

**St.  Martin  was  kind  to  you,  or  else  the 
doctors  are  all  wrong,"  laughed  his  friend. 

'^And  now,"  continued  Martin,  ^* since  I 
am  getting  well,  I  am  as  hungry  as  a  wolf, 
and  I  could  hardly  wait  to  get  out  and  sing 
again,  and  earn  more  food.  I  was  deter- 
mined to  come  with  you  this  Christmas  eve, 
for  then  people  may  give  us  cakes  instead 
of  bread,  and  other  good  things  besides." 

**Hark  to  the  glutton!"  cried  another. 
**But  we  all  like  Christmas,  for  indeed  it  is 
a  time  of  plenty,  and  the  poor  scholars  get 
their  share." 

^* Besides,"  added  Martin,  in  a  different 
tone,  **  there  are  no  songs  so  beautiful  as  the 
Christmas  hymns."    And  he  began  to  hirni, 

21 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


in  a  sweet  boyish  soprano,  the  old  German 
carol, 

*'A  little  babe,  so  pure  and  blest.'* 

**Yes,  that  is  very  well  for  you,"  said 
one  boy,  in  a  complaining  tone.  ^*You  have 
a  good  voice  and  love  to  sing!  As  for 
me,  I  grow  sick  of  trailing  from  door  to 
door  singing  songs  that  mean  nothing  to 
me,  and  getting  a  crust  now  and  then  like 
a  beggar!  If  I  did  not  look  forward  to  a 
day  when  I  shall  be  learned  and  rich  and 
do  as  I  please,  I  could  not  endure  it!" 

*^Men  do  harder  things  than  that,"  said 
Martin  Luther,  his  dark  eyes  growing  soft 
and  deep  with  the  vision.  **I  can  never 
forget  what  I  saw  since  I  came  to  Magde- 
burg. You  know  what  I  mean — the  Prince 
of  Anhalt,  who  has  laid  aside  his  title  and 
rank  and  entered  the  monastery;  how  he 
goes  in  the  coarse  garb  of  a  monk,  so  thin 
from  fasting  that  he  can  hardly  staggei 
up  and  down  the  streets  with  a  sack  on  his 
back,  begging  bread  for  the   brothers  in 

22 


THE  SINGER  IN  THE  STREET 

the  convent!    Our  trials  are  nothing  to  his! 

*^And  often,  in  my  home  in  Mansfeld," 
he  continued,  ^^I  have  seen  the  pilgrims  go- 
ing to  the  holy  jilaees  in  the  neighborhood, 
coming  from  miles  around  to  have  their 
diseases  taken  away;  and  those  too  weak 
to  walk  were  carried  to  some  place  where 
they  could  hear  the  bells  of  Wimmelberg 
church,  believing  that  the  very  sound  would 
make  them  well. 

^'And  I  saw  the  child-pilgrims — little 
boys  and  girls,  eleven  hundred  from  Eisle- 
ben  alone — following  the  standard  of  the 
red  cross  to  Wilsnach  without  money  or 
food,  begging  their  way  as  they  journeyed. 
Some  were  not  eight  years  old,  but  it  was 
said  that  in  a  day  and  a  night,  they  marched 
eighty  miles!     They  were  ready  to  drop, 

yet—" 

* '  Here  we  are ! ' '  whispered  another.  * '  This 
is  a  large,  fine  farmhouse ;  let  us  sing  here 
first." 

The  little  group  gathered  close  about  the 
door,  and  presently  the  notes  of  a  carol 
^23 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


rang  out,  with  the  clear,   sweet  voice   of 
Martin  leading: 

**In  sweetest  exultation 
Let  every  voice  arise; 
Our  Hope  and  Consolation 
Within  a  manger  lies!*' 

Suddenly  a  harsh  voice  broke  in  upon  the 
melody.  The  door  of  the  house  was  flung 
open,  and  the  farmer  appeared,  crying 
roughly : 

** Where  are  you,  young  rascals?" 

Terrified  by  such  a  reception,  the  boys 
broke  and  fled,  their  scanty  scholars'  gowns 
flapping  about  their  heels  as  they  ran.  They 
expected  no  less  than  a  beating  if  the  farmer 
caught  them;  and  still  the  loud  voice  kept 
roaring  after  them,  increasing  their  fright. 

But  Martin  caught  a  note  of  laughter  in 
the  harsh  shouts,  and  rallied  the  timid 
singers. 

^^Look,  look!  it  is  not  a  club  he  has  in 
his  hands ;  he  is  holding  two  great,  big  sau- 
sages, and  calling  us  to  come  and  get  them." 

24 


THE  SINGER  IN  THE  STREET 

Fearful  still,  but  resolved  to  have  the 
sausages,  the  boys  at  last  came  back  and 
received  the  gift  amid  roars  of  laughter 
from  the  burly  farmer.  They  thanked  him 
heartily,  finished  their  interrupted  song,  and 
trudged  on  to  the  clustered  lights  of  the 
village. 

*^ Mother,  do  listen!"  exclaimed  the  little 
daughter  of  Conrad  Cotta,  a  wealthy  citizen 
of  Eisenach.  ''The  boys  are  singing  at  the 
door;  and  what  a  beautiful  voice  one  of 
them  has!'' 

Ursula  Cotta  came  and  stood  at  the  win- 
dow beside  her  little  girl.  A  fair,  stately 
woman  she  was,  smiling  beneath  the  snowy 
cap  of  the  German  house-mother,  with  her 
long,  white  apron  embroidered  across  the 
bottom,  her  velvet  pouch  and  bunch  of  keys 
dangling  at  her  side,  and  her  look  of  quiet, 
matronly  dignity. 

''He  has  a  fine  face,"  she  said,  half  to 
herself.  "A  good  face.  Poor  boy,  how 
thin  he  looks!" 

25 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


And,  stepping  to  the  door,  she  called  the 
singers  to  enter. 

Martin  Luthel*,  whose  sweet  voice  had 
won  the  attention  of  the  good  Ursula,  had 
spent  only  a  year  in  Magdeburg.  Then 
Hans  had  remembered  that  he  had  a  num- 
ber of  relatives  living  in  Eisenach,  and  de- 
cided to  send  Martin  to  the  school  in  that 
place. 

But  the  relatives  were  not  wealthy  peo- 
ple, and  Martin's  poverty  was  little  bet- 
tered by  the  change  of  abode.  He  still  went 
about  the  streets  singing  for  his  daily  bread, 
and  now  and  then  receiving  a  little  money. 

The  house  of  the  Cottas  was  warm  and 
cozy,  compared  with  the  poor  lodgings 
where  Martin  spent  most  of  his  nights.  "We 
should  not  think  it  very  comfortable,  with 
its  bare  walls  and  carpetless  floors,  and 
only  the  great  firexDlace  giving  out  a  fitful 
heat;  but  nobles  and  princes  had  few  bet- 
ter houses  in  those  days,  and  this  was  a 
home  of  luxur^^,  contrasted  with  many  in 
Eisenach. 

26 


THE  SINGER  IN  THE  STREET 

There  was  good  soup  and  plenty  of  bread 
for  the  singers.  Dame  Ursula  cut  it  with 
her  own  plump  hands  and  waited  on  them 
like  a  mother,  asking  meantime  kindly 
questions  about  their  homes  and  parents. 
The  little  folks  came  up  shyly  and  watched 
the  singers  while  they  ate,  and  afterward 
begged  for  more  songs. 

As  the  boys  were  leaving.  Dame  Ursula 
held  Martin  back  a  moment. 

^^I  want  you  to  visit  us  often  again," 
she  said  softly.  *^Come  back  after  your 
school  hours;  I  want  to  talk  with  you  and 
hear  you  sing.'' 

The  children  clapped  their  hands  at  the 
words. 

From  that  day  Martin  felt  that  he  had  a 
new  home.  Much  of  his  time  was  spent  with 
the  Cottas,  and  his  hollow  cheeks  began 
to  fill  out  under  the  influence  of  the  good 
things  he  shared  at  Dame  Ursula's  table. 
Cold  and  hunger  were  things  of  the  past, 
and  a  happy  home  circle  gladdened  his 
lonely  heart. 

27 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


So  passed  four  happy  years.  And  no  less 
improved  was  Martin's  treatment  in  school. 

^^Our  master,  the  learned  Trebonius,"  he 
told  Dame  Ursula,  *^  never  comes  into  the 
schoolroom  in  the  morning  without  tak- 
ing off  his  cap  to  us.  One  of  the  boys 
asked  him  why  he  did  it,  and  he  said:  *I 
take  off  my  cap  before  the  future  mayor, 
chancellor,  or  learned  doctor  whom  God 
may  have  chosen  any  of  you,  my  pupils, 
to  become.'  " 

**And  so  they  may,  Martin,"  said  his 
motherly  friend.  *^You  yourself  may  be 
called  to  a  great  work,  and  you  must  be 
ready  for  it." 

**The  saints  grant  it!"  said  Martin  de- 
voutly. 

At  length  came  word  from  Mansfeld. 
Hans  Luther  was  prospering,  and  had  now 
two  furnaces  instead  of  one.  Martin  was 
to  leave  Eisenach,  and  enter  the  university 
at  Erfurt,  there  to  realize  his  father's  fond- 
est hopes  by  studying  to  prepare  himself 
for  the  profession  of  law. 

28 


A  PROUD  FATHER 


Ill 

A  PROUD  FATHER 

THE  household  of  Hans  Luther  was  all 
astir,  and  it  could  easily  be  seen  that 
some  great  event  was  at  hand.  Such  scrub- 
bing and  polishing,  such  baking  and  brew- 
ing! And,  indeed,  there  was  plenty  to  do; 
for  the  home  was  no  longer  the  little  house 
to  which  Hans  used  to  come  home  with  the 
soil  of  the  mines  upon  him,  and  from  which 
his  good  Gretchen  went  out  to  gather  the 
fagots  for  the  fire. 

Hans  had  prospered,  and  was  now  a 
citizen  of  note  in  Mansfeld.  He  had  taken 
a  house  befitting  his  means ;  and  the  family 
was  now  preparing  to  receive  a  visit  from 
the  son  of  whom  his  parents  were  justly 
proud. 

Four  years  ago,  a  youth  of  seventeen  had 
31 


IVIARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


enrolled  at  the  University  of  Erfurt  as 
**  Martin  Luther,  from  Mansfeld.''  To-day 
he  was  coming  home  in  triumph,  having 
lately  received  his  degree  as  Master  of 
Arts,  standing  second  in  his  class. 

^'Here  he  comes!  Oh,  father,  mother, 
here  is  Martin!"  screamed  the  younger 
children,  and  all  the  neighborhood  flocked 
out  to  see  their  scholar.  While  his  horse 
was  being  led  away  to  the  stable,  he  held 
quite  a  reception,  greeting  heartily  the  well- 
known  faces,  seen  but  seldom  during  those 
years  of  absence. 

**Will  you  not  come  within?"  queried 
Hans,  holding  open  the  door  for  his  son 
with  deep  respect.  Martin  looked  at  him 
in  surprise ;  for  his  father  had  never  spoken 
to  him  in  that  tone  before. 

**Come  in,  I  pray  you!"  repeated  Hans 
Luther;  and  Martin  saw  that  his  father's 
eyes  were  full  of  the  tears  of  happy  pride. 

All  day  Hans  and  Margaret  waited  on 
their  Master  of  Arts  with  every  mark  of 

32 


A  PROUD  FATHER 


honor,  until  his  modest  soul  could  endure  it 
no  longer. 

'^Ah,  my  father!"  at  length  he  exclaimed, 
when  the  visitors  were  gone,  and  parents 
and  son  were  alone  at  last.  ^*Be  not  so 
ceremonious  with  your  boy!  What  am  I 
but  your  Martin,  even  as  before'?" 

**You  are  now  a  scholar,  my  son,"  re- 
plied Hans,  seriously,  ^^and  I  do  honor  to 
Master  Martin  Luther!" 

^^Have  you  never  heard  the  saying," 
laughed  Martin,  ^Hhat  in  Erfurt  there  are 
as  many  Masters  of  Art  as  there  are  stones 
in  the  pavement?"  Then,  seeing  his  father's 
look  of  disappointment,  he  added  quickly, 
**But  indeed  it  is  a  glorious  thing  to  attain 
to  one's  degree!  When  our  examinations 
were  passed,  we  were  taken  in  procession 
through  the  streets  by  our  fellow  students, 
with  banners,  torches,  and  music,  and  all 
the  people  of  Erfurt  saluting  us  as  *  Master' 
on  this  side  and  on  that.  What  a  moment 
of   majesty  and   splendor   was   that!     It 

33 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


seems  to  me  that  no  earthly  joy  can  equal 
it." 

*^Tell  lis  about  your  days  at  Erfurt, 
my  son,"  begged  Margaret,  sitting  close  be- 
side her  boy.  *^You  have  been  away  so 
long,  and  we  have  known  so  little  of  what 
you  were  doing!  Tell  me  not  of  your 
strange  studies  with  the  names  I  cannot  set 
my  mouth  to  pronounce;  tell  me  rather 
of  your  companions,  and  how  your  time 
was  spent  outside  of  your  schoolrooms." 

^^ There  was  one,"  said  Martin,  thought- 
fully, ^^who  was  there  when  I  entered,  but 
three  years  ahead  of  me.  His  name  was 
George  Spalatin,  and  I  learned  to  know 
him  very  well.  He  is  a  man  I  would  fain 
keep  all  my  life  for  a  friend.  There  was 
another,  Lange  by  name,  whom  also  I  think 
I  shall  never  forget.  There  was  young 
Eoban  Hess,  who  entered  but  a  year  ago; 
a  brilliant  lad,  a  poet  and  scholar  such  as 
seldom  comes  even  to  Erfurt. 

** There  was  a  man  of  another  sort,"  he 
went  on,  breaking  into  a  laugh,  ^^who  was 

34 


A  PROUD  FATHER 


my  room-mate  for  a  couple  of  years.  How 
he  hated  study!  I  do  not  think  he  ever 
took  up  a  book  unless  I  lectured  him  soundly 
for  his  indolence.  One  day,  when  I  had 
been  scolding  him,  he  sat  down  with  a  book 
in  his  hand,  and  after  glaring  at  it  angrily 
for  half  an  hour  he  suddenly  threw  it  on 
the  floor  and  stamped  on  it,  exclaiming: 
^You  want  to  make  a  fool  of  me,  do  you? 
From  the  word  *' study"  comes  the  word 
^^ stupid."  Study  always  makes  dunces!' 
And  he  tramped  off,  leaving  the  book  on  the 
floor  for  me  to  pick  up !  It  was  not  all  study, 
though ;  we  had  happy  times  of  good  fellow- 
ship with  jesting  and  song. 

^^Once  I  hurt  my  leg  and  was  laid  up  for 
some  time  by  the  accident.  I  had  not  been 
long  in  the  rooms  where  I  then  was,  the 
people  were  strange  to  me,  and,  though 
they  were  kind,  I  was  very  lonely  and  the 
hours  hung  heavy  on  my  hands. 

^^At  last,  runnnaging  about  in  a  large 
closet  in  the  wall,  I  found  an  old  lute.  How 
rejoiced  I  was!    It  was  out  of  repair,  but 

3S 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


I  strung  it  up  and  thrummed  on  it  all  day 
long!  I  taught  myself  to  play  a  little, 
though  I  had  no  teacher,  and  when  I  was 
well  again,  I  took  it  to  some  of  our  merry 
gatherings,  and  the  students  were  delighted 
to  have  a  little  accompaniment  to  their 
songs.  They  called  me  *the  musician'  after 
that!" 

'^You  never  forgot  your  prayers,  Mar- 
tin?" asked  the  mother  wistfully.  His  face 
lit  up  with  a  new  brightness  as  he  answered : 

**My  motto,  through  all  my  school-days, 
has  been,  ^To  pray  well  is  to  study  well.' 
Every  day  I  began  with  prayer,  dear 
mother. 

^'1  found  something  one  day  that  was 
wonderful  to  me,  and  I  wish  I  had  it  for 
my  own.  I  was  looking  for  a  book  in  the 
library  at  the  university,  when  I  found  a 
book  I  had  never  seen  before.  It  was  the 
"Word  of  God,  in  Latin ;  the  whole  of  it,  not 
just  the  parts  we  hear  in  church;  and  I 
opened  it  to  see  what  it  was  like. 

**  Mother,  it  opened  at  the  story  of  Han- 
36 


I  FOUND   SOMETHING  ONE  DAY  THAT  WAS  WONDERFUL. 
THE   WORD   OF   GOD,    IN   LATIN " 


.    IT  WAS 


A  PROUD  FATHER 


nah,  the  mother  of  Samuel ;  how  she  prayed 
to  God  to  give  her  a  son,  and  she  would 
devote  him  to  the  service  of  God ;  and  when 
he  was  old  enough,  she  took  him  to  God's 
house  and  left  him  there  with  the  old  priest. 
And  one  night  the  Lord  spoke  to  him  in  a 
vision.  But  then  it  was  time  to  go  to  my 
next  lecture,  and  I  could  read  no  more. 

^^But  it  made  me  think  of  my  own  good 
mother,  and  wonder  if  the  Lord  would  ever 
call  me  to  carry  a  message  for  him.  And 
if  he  does,"  said  Martin,  with  deep  rever- 
ence, ^^I  want  to  be  ready  to  answer  him, 
and  say,  ^  Speak,  for  thy  servant  heareth,' 
just  as  Samuel  did." 

And  Father  Hans,  from  his  corner  by  the 
hearth,  uttered  a  long  sigh,  and  had  no  word 
to  say;  but  pious  Mother  Margaret,  hold- 
ing her  boy's  hand  in  her  work-hardened 
fingers,  said  clearly  and  tenderly,  ^^Amen!" 


37 


A  DAY   OF  DECISION 


IV 

A  DAY  OF  DECISION" 

IT  was  now  time  for  Martin  to  take  up 
the  actual  study  of  law,  if  he  were  going 
to  fulfil  his  father's  ambition.  Hans  would 
hear  of  no  delay.  Regardless  of  expense 
he  purchased  for  his  son  the  costly  books 
he  would  require,  and  sent  him  back  to 
Erfurt  in  time  for  the  opening  of  the  law 
school  in  May. 

Martin  was  not  enthusiastic  about  the 
study  of  law. 

*^ Lawyers,"  he  once  remarked,  ^^say  a 
great  deal  and  use  many  words,  but  with- 
out understanding.  They  take  the  money 
of  the  poor,  and  with  their  tongue  thresh 
out  both  their  pocket  and  their  purse." 

But  his  father  wished  him  to  become  a 
lawyer,  and  he  entered  upon  the  task  obe- 
diently, if  not  joyfully. 

41 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


The  spring  and  summer  of  1505  were 
times  of  trouble  at  Erfurt.  The  terrible 
disease  known  as  the  plague  broke  out,  and 
the  students  as  well  as  the  townspeople  were 
attacked  by  it.  Some  died  of  it,  others 
fled  from  the  city  in  a  panic.  One  of  Mar- 
tin's particular  friends  among  the  students 
died  about  this  time,  and  a  great  sadness 
filled  the  mind  of  the  young  scholar. 

Besides,  the  law  studies  became  more  dis- 
tasteful to  him  every  day.  More  and  more 
his  mind  turned  toward  the  thought  of 
God  who  called  Samuel,  and  who  might  even 
now  be  calling  him  to  a  different  sort  of 
work. 

^^I  am  not  making  the  most  of  my  life," 
he  often  said  to  himself.  *^I  am  given  up 
to  worldly  studies  and  pursuits  instead  of 
being  devoted  to  something  that  would  help 
to  save  my  own  soul  and  the  souls  of 
others." 

Again  and  again  there  came  to  him  the 
memory  of  the  pilgrims  he  had  seen  throng- 
ing to  the  holy  shrines;  of  the  Prince  of 

42 


A  DAY  OF  DECISION 


Anhalt  carrying  his  sack  of  broken  bits, 
begging  for  food  on  the  streets  of  Magde- 
burg; of  the  monlvs  of  a  little  monastery 
near  Eisenach  with  whom  he  had  been  very 
friendly  while  he  lived  with  the  Cotta  f am- 

iiy. 

*' Surely,"  he  thought,  ^Hhe  best  way  of 
pleasing  God  is  to  do  as  these  have  done; 
to  deny  oneself  all  ease  and  pleasure,  to 
withdraw  from  the  world,  and  to  give  one's 
whole  life  to  prayers  and  deeds  of  charity!" 

There  came  back  to  him  now  the  remem- 
brance of  a  painting  he  had  seen  in  a  church 
while  he  was  at  school  at  Magdeburg. 

^*It  was  a  great  ship,"  he  reminded  him- 
self, '^sailing  safely  on  stormy  waters.  On 
its  deck  was  the  pope,  with  his  cardinals  and 
bishops  around  him.  All  the  crew  were 
priests  and  monks.  The  ship  was  the 
Church,  and  it  was  bound  for  the  harbor 
of  heaven. 

^^AU  about,  in  the  water,  were  the  poor 
people  who  were  neither  monks  nor  priests 
but  just  common  men  like  myself.     Here 

43 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


and  there  one  of  the  crew  flung  out  a  rope 
from  the  vessel  for  one  of  them  to  grasp; 
but  most  of  them  were  sinking  in  the  waves. 
Only  those  on  board  were  safe!" 

So  heavily  did  these  thoughts  weigh  upon 
him  that  about  the  last  of  June  he  went 
home  to  Mansfeld  for  a  short  visit,  hoping 
to  talk  the  matter  over  with  his  father  and 
get  permission  at  least  to  give  up  the  study 
of  law. 

^^Do  not  venture  to  speak  to  your  father 
of  such  a  thing!"  counseled  his  mother, 
to  whom  he  hinted  his  intention.  ^^AU  his 
pride  and  his  hope  are  in  you,  and  it  will 
break  his  heart  to  have  you  give  up  your 
studies.  Already  he  plans  a  good  marriage 
for  you  which  will  connect  us  with  a  wealthy 
family.  Anger  him  not;  go  back,  my  son, 
and  pray  to  the  good  God  to  make  your  way 
clear!" 

Martin  stayed  but  a  few  days  at  home. 
He  was  so  thoroughly  out  of  harmony  with 
his  father's  joyous  predictions  of  a  brilliant 

44 


A  DAY  OF  DECISION 


career  that  on  the  second  of  July  he  left 
Mansf eld  to  return  to  Erfurt. 

The  air  was  close  and  oppressive,  but  he 
chose  to  walk  rather  than  to  ride,  hoping 
that  the  exercise  would  help  to  throw  off  the 
gloomy  thoughts  that  filled  his  mind.  He 
felt  like  a  prisoner  whom  love  and  duty 
held  faster  than  iron  bars. 

^^I  am  a  coward!"  he  told  himself.  **I 
know  that  I  am  doing  wrong,  yet  I  am  too 
weak  to  tell  my  father!  Truly  his  disap- 
pointment would  be  great.  But  if  my 
father's  anger  would  be  terrible,  how  much 
more  dreadful  would  be  the  wrath  of  God! 
He  might  justly  punish  me  for  my  disobe- 
dience." 

The  sky  darkened  more  and  more  as  he 
went  on,  but  he  scarcely  noticed  it.  All 
through  the  sultry  afternoon  he  tramped  the 
dusty  roads,  his  dark  eyes  clouded  with 
trouble. 

The  evening  was  drawing  near  and  he  was 
close  to  the  little  village  of  Stotternheim, 

45 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


only  a  few  miles  outside  of  Erfurt,  when 
the  gathering  storm  broke  in  fury. 

It  was  too  late  to  seek  shelter.  The  wind 
swept  vast  waves  of  dust  up  from  the  road, 
stifling  and  blinding  him;  the  darkness 
grew  more  and  more  dense;  the  lightnings 
cleft  the  gloom  like  the  sword  of  an  angry 
angel,  and  the  thimder  seemed  to  shake  the 
very  foundations  of  the  earth. 

Martin  struggled  on,  scarcely  knowing 
in  what  direction  he  went.  All  the  wrong 
acts  he  had  ever  done,  all  his  doubts  about 
the  future,  all  his  fears  of  the  God  who 
now  ax)peared  to  him  as  an  awful  Judge 
rather  than  as  the  Friend  who  spoke  to 
Samuel — all  these  thoughts  seemed  to  hav6 
taken  the  form  of  dreadful  demons,  and 
to  be  pursuing  him. 

Suddenly  a  blaze  of  blue  flame  split  the 
darkness  close  beside  him.  A  dazzling  ball 
of  fire  aimed,  as  it  seemed,  directly  at  his 
head  came  plunging  through  the  tempest,  to 
disappear  in  the  ground  only  a  few  feet 
from  where  he  stood.     A  clap  of  thunder 

46 


A  DAY  OF  DECISION 


followed  whicli  rattled  like  a  roll  of  mus- 
ketry about  him. 

Martin  fell  half  dazed  upon  the  ground. 
For  a  few  moments  the  violence  of  the  shock 
held  him  unable  to  move  or  think.  Still 
the  storm  raged  and  beat  upon  him.  Pres- 
ently struggling  to  his  knees  he  clasped  his 
hands  and  tried  to  pray.  The  wind  snatched 
the  words  from  his  mouth,  and  carried  them 
away  with  mocking  shrieks.  Desperate  with 
fear  in  the  midst  of  the  tumult,  words 
sprang  to  his  lips  as  though  some  power 
stronger  than  himself  had  forced  them  from 
him. 

^'Help  me,  dear  St.  Anna!"  he  gasped. 
^^Save  me,  and  I  will  become  a  monk!" 

Then  he  fell  exhausted  and  lay  trembling 
on  the  rain-beaten  earth. 

The  storm  had  almost  spent  its  force. 
In  a  few  minutes  the  wind  began  to  sub- 
side; the  lightning  flashes  grew  more  re- 
mote, and  the  thunder  rumbled  farther 
and  farther  away. 

At  last,  as  Martin  lay  on  the  groimd,  he 
47 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


ventured  to  open  his  eyes  and  saw  that  it 
was  growing  lighter.  He  rose  again  to 
his  knees,  and,  behold!  a  shaft  of  golden 
light  from  the  setting  sun  shone  full  into  his 
lifted  face.  He  stretched  his  hands  to  meet 
it,  and  felt  that  St.  Anna  had  accepted  his 
vow. 

It  was  a  drenched  and  silent  student  who 
reached  his  lodgings  late  that  evening.  Dur- 
ing the  next  few  days  his  friends  wondered 
greatly  what  had  happened  to  Martin.  His 
merry  laugh  was  hushed,  his  lute  was  hid- 
den, and  he  went  about  like  a  man  in  a 
dream. 

About  two  weeks  after  the  storm  they 
learned  the  meaning  of  the  change.  The 
students  to  whom  he  was  most  attached, 
and  a  few  of  the  townspeople  in  whose 
homes  he  had  been  intimate,  received  little 
notes  of  invitation,  which  caused  them  fur- 
ther surprise. 

*^Come  and  take  supper  with  me  on  the 
sixteenth,"  wrote  Martin.    ^*I  have  a  heavy 

48 


"slowly  the  heavy  door  swung  open;   and  when  it  closed,  it 

HID  THE  beloved  FORM  OF  THEIR  'MUSICIAN'" 


A  DAY  OF  DECISION 


task  before  me,  and  would  first  spend  a 
pleasant  evening  with  my  friends." 

When  the  little  company  was  gathered, 
it  seemed  as  though  they  must  have  misread 
the  mysterious  words  of  the  note.  Never 
had  Martin  seemed  happier.  His  voice  and 
lute  led  them,  after  supper  was  over,  in 
song  after  song.  All  the  lively  pranks  and 
jests  of  student  life,  all  the  happy  times 
he  had  spent  in  Erfurt  he  recounted  with 
relish. 

^'Martin  is  himself  again  to-night,"  whis- 
pered his  friends  to  one  another,  delighted 
to  see  him  so  cheerful.  *^It  is  long  since 
he  has  shown  so  merry  a  face." 

At  length  the  lute  was  laid  aside,  and 
Martin  rose  and  stood  looking  about  upon 
his  guests. 

^^Dear  friends,"  he  said — and  there  was 
no  merriment  now  upon  his  lips — ^^I  have 
called  you  together  to  say  farewell.  Once 
more  I  have  enjoyed  your  good  company, 
but  it  is  the  last  time.  To-morrow  I  shall 
enter  the  monastery  here  in  Erfurt  to  save 

49 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


your  souls  and  mine  by  penances  and  pray- 
ers, if  God  and  the  holy  saints  be  gracious." 

A  clamor  of  remonstrance  arose.  There 
were  tears  and  protestations,  but  all  in  vain. 
IsTothing  could  change  his  purpose  or  alter 
the  firm  lines  of  his  quiet  lips. 

The  next  morning,  a  few  of  the  students 
walked  sorrowfully  with  him  to  the  gate  of 
the  monastery,  and  waited  while  he  knocked 
for  admission. 

Slowly  the  heavy  door  swung  open;  and 
when  it  closed,  it  hid  the  beloved  form  of 
their  ^^ musician"  from  their  tearful  eyes. 


50 


THE  FIRST  MASS 


THE  FIRST  MASS 


i( 


GOOD  morning,  neighbor  Gretchen.  I 
have  come  to  see  how  you  are,  now 
that  the  excitement  is  over,  and  the  men 
are  off  at  last  on  their  way  to  Erfurt." 

The  comely  face  of  Anna  Klein,  neighbor 
and  friend  of  the  Luthers,  wore  a  broad 
smile,  which  was  quickly  reflected  on  the 
lips  of  Margaret  Luther. 

*^Good  morning,  Anna.  Yes,  indeed,  there 
was  excitement  this  morning  while  they 
were  getting  ready  to  go.  Never  in  his 
life  was  my  Hans  so  particular  about  the 
putting  on  of  his  best  suit,  and  the  polish- 
ing of  the  buckles  on  his  horse's  harness. 
*We  must  not  shame  him,'  he  kept  saying. 
*  We  must  do  honor  to  Martin,  and  to  Mans- 
feld,  too!'" 

53 


MARTIN  OF  IVIANSFELD 


^^They  will  make  a  fine  showing,  truly," 
said  Anna.  '*  Twenty  riders,  all  in  their 
best,  bringing  liberal  gifts  for  the  monas- 
tery!" 

'^ There  will  be  some  from  Eisenach,  too," 
said  Margaret.  *' Martin  wrote  that  he  had 
invited  my  kinsman,  Conrad  Hutter,  who 
lives  there,  and  the  priest,  Father  Braun, 
who  is  a  good  friend  of  his." 

^*It  is  a  great  occasion,  when  the  young 
priest  holds  his  first  mass,"  said  Anna.  '^It 
would  have  been  a  pleasant  thing  for  you 
to  go  along,  Gretchen.", 

'^What  should  I  do  among  all  the  men?" 
laughed  Margaret.  ^ '  They  will  talk  of  great 
matters  that  a  plain,  unlearned  woman  can- 
not understand ;  and  I  would  be  left  sitting 
in  a  corner !  I  was  glad  enough  to  see  Hans 
go,"  she  added,  more  gravely. 

*^It  is  almost  two  years  since  he  has  seen 
Martin,  is  it  not  ? ' '  asked  Anna.  Her  friend 
nodded. 

*^Not  since  he  entered  the  monastery," 
54 


THE  FIRST  MASS 


she  said.  ' '  Indeed,  I  thought  he  would  never 
consent  to  see  him  again." 

^^He  was  terribly  angry  when  the  news 
came  that  Martin  was  going  to  be  a  monk," 
said  Anna.  *^I  remember  how  my  hus- 
band and  other  friends  came  and  tried  to 
reason  with  him,  but  he  would  hear  noth- 
ing." 

^^ Never  since  I  have  known  him,"  said 
Margaret  Luther,  ^^was  Hans  so  enraged;  I 
dared  not  say  a  word  to  him.  I  take  blame 
to  myself,  too;  for  I  knew  that  Martin 
wanted  to  give  up  his  studies,  and  I  would 
not  let  him  tell  his  father.  That  was  what 
angered  him  most — that  Martin  never  told 
him.  But  he  is  a  good  son  and  a  loving  one, 
and  would  not  have  disappointed  his  father 
except  that  he  believed  God  called  him." 

^'Hans  has  softened  much  in  the  last 
year, ' '  remarked  Anna. 

^*Yes,  since  our  two  younger  boys  died 
of  the  plague,  and  the  report  came  to  us 
that  Martin  was  also  dead,"  said  the 
mother,  with  a  sigh.    ^^Hans  is  still  grieved 

55 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


that  Martin  is  a  monk,  yet  he  is  proud  of 
him,  too.  He  was  always  so  proud  of 
Martin!'' 

^^He  will  be  prouder  of  him  yet,"  proph- 
esied Anna,  drawing  her  cloak  about  her. 
'^Martin  is  no  ordinary  young  man.  Well, 
good-by,  Gretchen.  I  must  go  and  bake 
some  bread ;  Peter  took  along  all  I  had  for 
a  lunch  upon  the  way." 


The  service  was  over. 

Hans  Luther  came  out  of  the  church  a 
little  behind  his  Mansf eld  friends,  drawing 
his  rough  old  hand  hastily  across  his  eyes. 

He  was  trying  to  realize  that  the  earnest 
young  priest  whom  he  had  just  seen  per- 
forming the  most  sacred  ceremony  of  the 
Church — the  mass,  or  communion  service — 
was  really  his  own  son,  Martin. 

It  was  not  the  priestly  robes  that  made 
him  look  different;  nor  the  hoUowness  of 
his  pale  cheeks;  nor  even  the  head  shaven 
about  the  crown — ^the  badge  of  the  monk. 

It  was  the  look  on  his  face  that  changed 
56 


THE  FIRST  MASS 


him  so;  the  look  of  deep  reverence,  ahnost 
fear;  of  humility  and  self -distrust,  and  yet 
of  something  lofty;  the  look  that  made 
Hans  know,  for  the  first  time,  how  much  the 
new-made  priest  took  to  heart  his  profes- 
sion. 

^^If  he  must  be  a  priest,"  the  father  said 
to  himself,  ^*he  will  be  a  good  one.  He 
does  not  take  it  lightly,  as  so  many  do. 
How  he  trembled  as  he  read  the  mass! 
Once  he  stopped  as  if  he  were  overcome, 
and  looked  around  almost  as  if  he  would 
run  away.  My  heart  stood  still  for  fear 
he  would  break  down. 

^^He  does  not  look,  either,  like  one  of 
the  fat,  selfish,  monks  who  live  idly  in  the 
monasteries,  gorging  themselves  on  what 
they  squeeze  out  of  the  poor  people.  He  has 
been  fasting,  not  feasting! 

*^He  means  well,  and  he  will  try  to  do 
what  is  right ;  but  things  will  never  be  as  we 
had  hoped! 

**Well,  to-night  comes  the  banquet;  then 
we  shall  feel  more  at  home!" 

57 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


But  when  he  was  seated  that  evening  at 
the  banquet,  in  the  place  of  honor  beside 
his  son,  Hans  was  not  more  at  ease.  Not 
only  the  good  neighbors  from  Mansfeld 
were  there,  but  Martin's  more  distinguished 
and  scholarly  friends  of  Erfurt;  for  this 
was  one  occasion  when  they  might  all  meet 
and  rejoice  with  him. 

As  the  conversation  became  more  and 
more  animated,  the  brilliance  of  Martin's 
share  in  it  marked  him  out  as  the  master 
of  them  all.  No  humor  was  so  sparkling 
as  his,  no  replies  so  ready;  and  on  more 
serious  themes  he  was  equally  at  home. 
Hans  found  himself  thinking  with  regret 
of  the  magnificent  lawyer  Martin  would 
have  made ! 

At  last,  before  he  knew  it,  a  deep  sigh 
broke  from  the  father's  lips.  Martin,  who 
was  in  the  midst  of  a  clever  retort,  stopped 
instantly,  and  turned  to  him. 

^^What  is  wrong,  dear  father?"  he  asked 
anxiously.  Hans  could  conceal  his  feelings 
no  longer. 

58 


THE  FIRST  MASS 


''I  must  sit  here,"  he  exclaimed  impa- 
tiently, ^^and  eat  and  drink,  when  I  would 
much  rather  be  any^vhere  else!" 

^^Is  it  not  a  time  of  joy  to  you,  my 
father?"  asked  Martin,  gently.  **Are  you 
not  now  content,  seeing  what  a  holy  calling 
I  have  entered?  Why  were  you  so  angry 
with  me,  and  would  not  forgive  my  becom- 
ing a  monk'?" 

^^Did  you  never  hear,"  said  Hans,  lifting 
his  gray  head  with  dignity,  ^Hhat  a  son  must 
be  obedient  to  his  parents?"  Then,  turning 
to  the  company  who  were  now  listening 
intently,  he  continued : 

^^And  you,  learned  men,  did  you  never 
read  in  the  Scripture, '  Thou  shalt  honor  thy 
father  and  thy  mother'?" 

Silence  reigned  for  a  moment.  The  young 
priest  sat  with  bowed  head. 

^^But,  neighbor  Hans,"  spoke  up  honest 
Peter  Klein,  from  Mansfeld,  ''Martin  had  a 
sign  from  God — a  call  from  heaven.  Is 
not  God  to  be  obeyed,  above  father  and 
mother?" 

59 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


*'God  grant  it  be  so!"  said  Hans  Luther, 
his  rugged  face  working  with  strong  emo- 
tion. *^I  have  yet  to  be  convinced  that  it 
was  not  a  trick  of  the  Evil  One,  who  loves 
to  deceive!" 

With  these  words  he  rose  from  the  table. 

** Martin,"  he  said,  with  open  arms,  ** em- 
brace me  now  and  let  us  say  farewell.  To- 
morrow morning,  with  the  dawn,  we  ride 
home  again  to  Mansfeld." 


60 


BROTHER   MARTIN" 


VI 

BROTHER  MARTIN 

A  LITTLE  group  of  monks  had  gathered 
in  the  cloister  of  the  monastery  at  Er- 
furt, on  a  quiet  summer  evening.  The 
center  of  attention  was  a  man  of  middle 
age,  with  a  stern  and  care-worn  face,  who 
had  just  come  out  of  the  main  building. 

^^I  beg  of  you,  my  brothers,  do  not  be 
excited,"  he  was  saying.  **The  report  you 
have  heard  is  untrue.  Our  brother  is  not 
dead,  though  for  a  time  he  lay  unconscious. 
He  is  now  reviving,  and  I  have  sent  to  him 
his  confessor  whose  presence  he  desires." 

*^May  we  ask,  father,"  inquired  one, 
*'why  the  choristers  were  sent  for?" 

^^Here  they  come!"  said  the  subprior. 
*^They  can  tell  you  themselves;  business  of 
importance  calls  me  elsewhere." 

63 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


*'It  seems  to  me,"  said  another,  looking 
after  the  subprior's  retreating  figure,  **that 
the  reverend  father  is  unusually  short  in 
his  answers." 

'^My  own  dull  wits,"  remarked  a  third, 
^^  would  almost  lead  me  to  imagine  that  he 
is  displeased  at  Brother  Martin  for  not 
being  really  dead!" 

^*It  must  be  a  disappointment!"  laughed 
the  second.  *^  Think  what  a  great  thing  for 
the  convent,  if  we  could  have  taken  credit 
for  a  new  saint!" 

*^Well,  we  shall  have  one,  sooner  or  later, 
if  Martin  persists  in  his  penances!"  said 
the  other.  **But  wait!"  he  cried  out  to  the 
choristers,  who  were  hastening  past.  *^Tell 
us  why  you  were  summoned  to  Brother 
Martin's  cell." 

Two  of  the  singers  shook  their  heads 
and  hurried  on ;  but  the  third,  a  rosy,  good- 
natured  little  man,  came  and  sat  down  on 
a  bench  near  the  group,  and  answered 
readily : 

*^0h,  Martin  has  been  fasting  and  tor- 
64 


BROTHER  MARTIN 


taring  himself  again.  You  know  what  a 
persistent  fellow  he  is;  the  ordinary  rules 
of  the  convent  were  not  enough  for  him, 
and  he  has  made  out  a  set  of  extra  ones 
for  himself.  Flesh  and  blood  cannot  en- 
dure what  he  inflicts  on  himself." 

**But  you  are  not  answering  our  ques- 
tion, Brother  Thomas,"  said  several,  im- 
patiently. 

**Wait,  wait,  good  brothers!"  said  the 
little  man,  who  rather  enjoyed  his  impor- 
tance of  the  moment.  **I  will  tell  you  all 
about  it. 

*'You  know.  Brother  Martin  is  exceed- 
ingly fond  of  music.  He  believes  that  when 
the  Evil  One  tempts  us,  music  can  drive 
him  away;  and  truly,"  he  added,  with  great 
self-satisfaction,  *^I  cannot  say  I  ever  suffer 
many  temptations.  It  must  be  because  I 
am  always  busy  about  the  music!" 

**Go  on!   Go  on!"  was  the  chorus. 

**Well,  to-day  the  foolish  fellow  has  been 
shut  in  his  cell  since  early  morning.  He 
has  fasted  since  day  before  yesterday,  has 

65 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


kept  vigil  all  last  night  upon  Ms  knees,  and 
this  morning  Brother  Stephen,  whose  cell 
is  next  to  his,  heard  blows  of  the  lash  re- 
sounding. ' ' 

*^What  a  holy  life  he  leads!"  cried  one 
enthusiastic  brother. 

'^Holy — yes,  but  very  uncomfortable!" 
declared  Brother  Thomas,  rubbing  his  fat 
sides,  and  stretching  himself  with  a  yawn. 
'^Of  course,  he  fainted  again!  Stephen 
heard  him  fall,  and  called  the  subprior. 
They  had  to  burst  the  door  open,  and  it  was 
a  long  time  before  he  came  to  himself." 

''But  what  had  you  to  do  with  it  all?" 
said  an  eager  listener. 

''When  he  first  opened  his  eyes,"  said 
Thomas,  "he  stared  so  wildly,  and  muttered 
so  foolishly,  that  they  thought  his  mind 
unbalanced.  So  the  subprior  sent  Brother 
Stephen  for  us;  and  as  we  chanted  our 
hymns,  slowly  he  grew  calm,  and  at  last  he 
looked  at  us  with  reason  in  his  eyes. 

"Music  is  great,  my  brothers,  and  won- 
derful is  its  power;  but  now  I  think  the 

66 


BROTHER  MARTIN 


best  thing  to  do  would  be  to  give  him  some- 
thing to  eat!" 

**You  are  a  worldly-minded  man,  Thom- 
as!" declared  one,  laughing.  ^*You  have  no 
fancy  for  becoming  a  saint !  But  indeed,  no 
such  devotion  as  Brother  Martin's  has 
been  known  in  this  house  for  many  years. 
Should  he  die,  many  miracles  would  be 
performed  here,  and  much  money  would 
flow  into  our  coffers.  I  am  almost  sorry  for 
the  subprior!" 

^^Nay,  I  would  not  see  our  Martin  die, 
even  to  be  made  a  saint,"  said  another 
monk.  **He  is  a  lovable  man,  and  as  pious 
and  humble  as  he  is  devoted.  Do  you  remem- 
ber, when  first  he  entered  here  as  a  novice, 
how  some  of  the  brothers  thought  he  would 
be  proud,  because  he  was  known  in  all  Erfurt 
as  a  fine  scholar?" 

*'Yes,  and  I  remember,"  said  Thomas, 
'^how  meekly  he  did  all  the  menial  services 
that  were  laid  upon  him — sweeping  and 
scrubbing,  and  begging  from  door  to  door. 
^He  is  no  better  than  we,'  some  jealous 

67 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


ones  said.  *Let  the  proud  scholar  take  the 
sack  on  his  shoulder,  and  go  into  the  streets, 
to  beg  of  his  former  friends!'  " 

^^That  made  no  difference  to  Martin," 
said  the  other.  ^'In  fact,  he  was  so  eager 
for  discipline  that  he  wished  for  more 
burdens  to  be  added  rather  than  to  have 
less  than  others.'' 

*^ Listen!"  said  a  brother,  ^*I  hear  the 
sound  of  carriage  wheels  without." 

And  presently  a  monk  from  within  the 
building  announced  that  the  vicar-general 
of  their  order.  Dr.  John  Staupitz,  had  come 
unexpectedly  to  visit  the  monastery  and 
would  remain  a  few  days. 

*^I  am  glad  of  that!"  said  Thomas,  trot- 
ting along  more  briskly  than  usual,  as  they 
all  hastened  to  greet  their  honored  head. 
*^  Brother  Martin  loves  Dr.  Staupitz  and 
honors  him  above  all  men.  Perhaps  he 
can  get  him  to  listen  to  reason." 

^^Not  if  the  subprior  can  help  it!"  re- 
marked his  nearest  neighbor  in  a  w^hisper. 

It  was  not  until  the  next  morning  that 
68 


BROTHER  MxVRTIN 


the  vicar-general  entered  the  little  cell  where 
Martin  lay. 

'^Do  not  rise,  my  son!"  said  the  good 
man,  as  Martin  tried  to  greet  him,  and 
sank  back  in  extreme  weakness.  ^'What  is 
this  you  have  been  doing  to  yourself?" 

^^Oh,  my  father!"  said  Martin,  extending 
a  wasted  hand,  ^^my  sufferings  are  nothing 
compared  with  my  sins!  If  I  could  wipe 
them  out  by  fasting  and  scourging,  how 
gladly  would  I  do  it!" 

^^What  are  your  sins,  my  son?"  inquired 
the  great  man  kindly.  ^^Let  me  judge 
whether  they  are  deserving  of  such  severe 
punishment. ' ' 

^'They  are  grievous,  dear  father!"  said 
the  young  man.  ^^  Twice  in  the  past  week 
have  I  fallen  asleeiD  over  m^^  prayers ;  three 
times  have  I  made  mistakes  in  repeating 
the  words  of  the  mass.  Many  vain  and 
idle  thoughts  pursue  and  tempt  me  by  night 
and  day  to  forget  my  duties." 

'^Brother  Martin,"  said  the  superior, 
gravely,  ^^have  you  no  real  sins  to  con- 

69 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


fess?  These  are  painted  sins — a  mere  pic- 
ture and  no  reality.  Your  very  fasting 
and  watching  have  brought  you  to  a  state 
where  such  mistakes  and  omissions  are 
natural.  How  can  you  stay  awake,  when 
you  are  dying  for  sleep*?  How  can  you 
help  forgetting,  when  you  are  weak  unto 
starvation?    Are  these  all  your  sins?" 

**Alas,  no!"  sighed  Martin.  **I  am  of  a 
proud  and  hasty  temper,  and  often  feel 
impatient  with  others.  Sometimes  I  envy 
those  who  are  peaceful  and  happy;  some- 
times I  feel  rebellious  at  the  demands  of 
God,  who  by  a  dreadful  experience  drove 
me  into  the  convent." 

''Now  you  are  speaking  of  real  sins,  my 
son,"  said  Dr.  Staupitz.  ^^What  is  the  cure 
for  these?  What  did  your  confessor  tell 
you,  when  he  was  with  you  last  night?" 

*'He  reminded  me,"  said  Martin,  ^Hhat 
we  say,  in  the  Apostles'  Creed,  ^I  believe  in 
the  forgiveness  of  sins.'  " 

*^AhI"  said  Staupitz,  ^^Have  you  asked 
that  your  gins  be  forgiven?" 

70 


BROTHER  MARTIN 


^'Yes,  yes!  but  liow  can  I  be  sure  of  if?" 
^'Only  by  believing  in  Christ,  my  son!" 
''In  Christ!"  said  Martin,  with  a  shud- 
der. ''I  am  afraid  to  speak  to  him! 
Twenty-one  saints  have  I  chosen  to  be  my 
special  patrons;  each  day  I  pray  to  three, 
so  that  in  a  week  I  have  invoked  them  all. 
But  how  shall  I  speak  to  the  great  Lord  of 
alir' 

''That  is  not  our  dear  Lord  Christ  of 
whom  you  are  afraid,"  said  Dr.  Staupitz. 
"Christ  does  not  terrify;  he  only  consoles. 
Leave  your  prayers  to  the  saints,  your  fast- 
ing and  penances,  and  learn  all  you  can 
of  Christ." 

And,  rising,  he  blessed  the  young  monk, 
laying  his  hand  tenderly  on  Martin's  head. 
"He  is  a  youth  of  a  noble  spirit,"  he  said 
to  the  subprior,  whom  he  met  outside  the 
door  of  the  little  cell,  "but  he  is  carrying 
his  penance  too  far,  and  will  kill  himself 
if  he  keeps  on.  He  needs  outside  interests 
and  work  for  others.  I  have  a  plan  in 
mind  which  I  think  will  help  him." 

71 


MARTIN  OF  ]\IANSFELD 


'^Wliat  strange  advice/'  mused  Martin,  in 
his  cell.  ^'The  subprior  is  always  saying 
it  is  more  discipline  we  need !  But  Father 
Staupitz  is  not  like  any  of  the  others." 
And,  rising  on  one  elbow,  he  reached  out 
to  the  table  beside  him,  where  the  red 
leather  cover  of  his  Latin  Bible  made  the 
one  spot  of  brightness  in  the  gloomy  cell. 


72 


A  VISIT   TO   EOME 


VII 

A  VISIT  TO  ROME 

AFLAT,  sandy  plain;  a  walled  town 
wherein  dwelt  a  few  thousand  people 
in  low,  frame  houses  mostly  thatched  with 
straw;  and,  looking  down  upon  this  dreary 
prospect,  two  large  churches — the  Town 
Church  and  the  Castle  Church — and  a  mon- 
astery where  a  new  university  was  finding 
its  first  home ;  this  was  Wittenberg. 

Martin  Luther  looked  about  him  with 
homesick  eyes.  After  the  beautiful  wooded 
hills  among  which  he  had  always  lived,  this 
poorly-built  town,  with  the  river  Elbe  wind- 
ing past  its  gates,  had  little  attraction  for 
him. 

^^He  has  sent  me  to  the  very  borders  of 
the  civilized  world,"  he  said  to  himself, 
*'but  I  would  go  anywhere  for  Dr.  Staupitz ; 

75 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


besides,  lie  is  my  superior  and  it  is  my  duty 
to  obey." 

This  was  the  change  the  good  Doctor 
had  planned  for  Brother  Martin.  The 
great  Elector,*  Frederick  the  Wise,  had 
lately  founded  a  university  at  Witten- 
berg; Dr.  Staupitz  was  its  dean,  and  he 
had  summoned  Martin  to  leave  the  cloisters 
at  Erfurt  and  come  to  Wittenberg  to  teach 
in  the  new  college. 

To  his  friend,  the  good  Father  Braun  in 
Eisenach,  Martin  wrote  soon  af  ter»: 

*^  Wonder  not  that  I  departed  without 
saying  farewell.  For  my  departure  was 
so  sudden  that  it  was  almost  unknown  to 
my  fellow  monks.  Now  I  am  at  Witten- 
berg, by  God's  command  or  permission,  I 
am  well,  but  my  duties  are  very  severe." 

There  was  no  more  time  for  mourning 
over  sins,  real  or  imaginary.  Hard  but 
healthful  work  was  Martin's  now — teaching 

*  One  of  the  seven  great  princes  who  at  that  period 
had  the  right  of  electing  the  emperor. 

76 


A  VISIT  TO  ROME 


and  studying  himself  that  he  might  teach 
better. 

But  a  greater  event  was  near  at  hand. 
A  year  or  two  after  going  to  "Wittenberg, 
while  back  at  Erfurt  for  a  time,  the  sub- 
prior  called  him  into  his  room. 

^^ Brother  Martin,"  he  said,  "you  know 
that  Brother  John  of  Mecheln  is  going  to 
Rome,  on  business  for  Dr.  Staui)itz.  It  is 
not  fitting  that  he  should  travel  alone,  and 
we  have  chosen  you  to  be  his  companion." 

Martin  bowed  low  in  assent. 

"This  is  a  great  opportunity  for  you, 
Brother  Martin,"  continued  the  subprior. 
"To  tread  the  ground  where  the  blessed 
apostles  and  martyrs  dwelt ;  to  pray  at  the 
holy  shrines  and  gain  merit  from  the  saints ; 
perhaps  to  see  the  Holy  Father,  the  Pope — 
these  are  wonderful  privileges." 

Martin  expressed  his  thanks,  and  left 
the  cell  like  one  in  a  dream.  To  see  Rome, 
the  Eternal  City!  the  center  and  capital 
of  the  Christian  world — ^this  was  joy  for 
which  he  had  never  dared  to  hope.    Now, 

77 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


surely,  he  would  find  peace  from  his  tempta- 
tions and  satisfaction  for  his  soul ! 

Since  Dr.  Staupitz  had  talked  with  him, 
he  had  read  much  in  his  Latin  Bible  and 
had  come  to  know  Christ  better ;  but  he  still 
felt  that  he  must  have  the  saints  to  stand 
between  him  and  the  Son  of  God,  and  be- 
lieved that  God  was  pleased  and  that  man 
earned  merit  by  prayers  and  penances. 

^'I  will  visit  every  shrine  at  Rome,"  he 
said  to  himself,  "1  will  pray  at  every  holy 
place.  If  I  cannot  find  holiness  at  Rome, 
it  is  nowhere  in  the  world." 

It  was  a  bright  October  day  when  Brother 
John  and  Brother  Martin  set  out  from 
Erfurt.  They  were  not  allowed  to  walk  side 
by  side,  spending  the  time  in  conversation, 
but  must  walk  silently,  in  single  file. 
Brother  John  was  much  occupied  with  the 
thought  of  the  business  on  which  he  was 
sent;  but  the  bright  eyes  of  Martin  were 
busy  along  the  way,  on  this  his  first  real 
journey. 

The  whole  way  was  taken  on  foot,  so  that 
78 


A  VISIT  TO  ROME 


he  had  plenty  of  time  to  see  all  that  was 
about  him.  From  monastery  to  monastery 
they  went,  stopping  with  the  brothers  for 
entertainment,  and  then  setting  out  again. 

Across  the  Alps  they  journeyed;  then 
down  over  the  fertile  plains  of  Lombardy 
into  Italy  the  beautiful. 

Now  it  was  hard  for  Martin  to  keep 
silence,  trudging  behind  his  unheeding  com- 
panion. Such  grapes  and  peaches,  such 
oranges  and  lemons,  he  had  never  seen! 
The  river  Po,  flowing  between  the  Alps  and 
the  Apennines,  struck  him  with  wonder  and 
amazement. 

^^A  merry  water!"  he  murmured  to  him- 
self, as  he  journeyed  along  its  banks. 
* '  Truly  a  prince  among  rivers ! ' ' 

The  mild  climate  was  another  surprise; 
but  he  and  his  companion  soon  found  that 
it  was  more  treacherous,  if  softer,  than  the 
air  of  their  colder  land. 

'^How  wretched  I  feel!"  said  Maii:in  to 
Brother  John,  when  they  arose  one  morn- 

79 


IVIARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


ing.     ^^I  have   a  fever,   and  pain  m  my 
head." 

^^It  is  the  air!"  said  John  ruefully. 
*^We  should  have  known  better  than  to 
sleep  with  open  windows  in  this  marshy 
country.  I  also  haA^e  fever,  and  a  raging 
thirst." 

That  was  a  hard  day  for  the  travelers. 
In  spite  of  sickness,  they  x)lodded  on.  At 
last  the  thirst  became  too  great. 

^'Brother  John,"  said  Martin,  in  despera- 
tion, ^'I  can  endure  it  no  longer!  I  must 
drink  some  of  this  fair,  flowing  water!" 

"It  is  deadly!"  said  John,  rousing  him- 
self. "Do  not  touch  it!  The  fever  will 
pass  away,  but  the  water  is  poisonous! 
Come,  Martin,  it  is  not  pure,  like  our  moun- 
tain streams;  do  not  look  at  it!" 

They  toiled  on,  the  hot  landscape  swim- 
ming before  their  fevered  eyes.  At  last 
Brother  John  turned  joyfully  to  the  lag- 
ging ]\Iartin. 

"Look!  God  has  sent  us  fruit  to  quench 
our  thirst!" 

80 


A  VISIT  TO  ROME 


And  he  pointed  to  a  stone  wall  over  which 
there  hung  a  branch  freighted  with  two 
luscious  pomegranates. 

How  delicious  the  sweet  juice  was  to 
their  parched  throats!  After  this  they 
traveled  on  less  painfully,  and  by  evening 
the  fever  was  gone. 

At  last,  after  a  journey  of  some  six  weeks, 
they  reached  the  hilltop  from  which  the 
traveler  catches  the  first  glimpse  of  the  city 
of  Eome  lying  outspread  upon  its  seven 
hills,  with  the  Tiber  winding  below. 

To  Martin  the  sight  was  overwhelming. 

^'Hail,  holy  Rome!"  he  cried  aloud,  fall- 
ing on  his  knees,  with  arms  outstretched 
toward  the  city. 

Brother  John  crossed  himself  devoutly, 
but  wasted  no  time  in  raptures. 

^^Come,  Brother  Martin,  we  must  reach 
the  gates  before  nightfall.  The  city  is  still 
some  miles  away,  and  the  whole  country 
around  is  infested  with  robbers  who  may 
even  be  greedy  enough  to  rob  poor  monks 
like  us!'' 

81 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


During  the  next  four  weeks  Martin  hast- 
ened from  shrine  to  shrine,  visiting  every 
holy  place  in  Eome.  To  those  who  did 
this  the  Church  promised  forgiveness  of  all 
tlieir  sins  as  well  as  freedom  from  the  tor- 
ments of  purgatory,  through  which  they 
were  taught  that  men  must  pass  before 
entering  heaven. 

Ten  times  while  in  Rome  he  said  mass; 
but  he  found  this  very  different  from  the 
solemn  service  in  the  church  at  Erfurt 

The  Italian  priests  were  careless  and 
irreverent.  Many  would  be  saying  masses 
at  neighboring  altars  in  the  same  church  at 
one  time. 

'* These  priests,"  complained  Martin  to 
Brother  Jolm,  ^^read  seven  masses  while  I 
am  finishing  one!  They  hurry  through 
as  if  it  were  a  jest;  and  then  they  cry 
out  at  me,  ^  Hurry,  hurry!  you  are  too  slow!' 
They  have  no  reverence  for  sacred  things!" 

^^Many  things  in  Eome  are  not  as  they 
are  with  us,"  said  John,  gravely. 

And  so  Martin  found  it  to  be.  There 
82 


A  VISIT  TO  ROME 


were  careless  and  unworthy  priests  in  all 
places  but  at  Rome  the  spirit  of  irrever- 
ence was  general.  The  thirst  for  money  was 
in  the  souls  of  the  clergy  from  the  pope 
down,  and  Martin  was  often  sick  at  heart 
to  see  how  the  priests  cheated  and  mocked 
the  people  who  trusted  them. 

From  these  things  he  turned  with  re- 
lief to  the  sacred  shrines. 

^^The  apostles  and  saints,  at  least,  are 
true!"  he  said  to  himself.  ^^Here  the  holy 
Peter  walked!  here  Paul  the  aged  lay  in 
prison,  and  went  forth  at  last  to  his  mart3rr- 
dom!  I  will  pray  to  them  and  to  all  the 
other  saints  to  be  kept  from  the  sins  I  see 
about  me." 

He  sought  the  churches  where  relics  of 
the  saints  were  displayed  for  worship — a 
bone  of  one,  the  hair  of  another,  a  piece  of 
the  true  cross — all  falsehoods,  by  means  of 
which  the  priests  got  money  from  the  be- 
lieving people. 

Last  and  greatest  of  all  he  sought  the 
83 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


Holy  Staircase  near  the  church  of  St. 
John. 

This  was  a  stone  stairway,  said  to  have 
been  brought  from  Jerusalem  where  it 
formed  part  of  the  palace  of  Pilate,  and 
was  trodden  by  the  feet  of  the  Savior  at 
the  time  of  his  trial.  These  stairs  the 
devout  pilgrim  was  expected  to  climb  on 
his  knees;  and  for  every  step  he  was 
granted  nine  years'  indulgence,  or  forgive- 
ness for  all  sins  he  might  commit. 

Up  these  stairs  Martin  set  out  to  climb 
laboriously,  pausing  at  every  step  to  offer 
prayers. 

Suddenly  in  the  middle  of  the  flight  of 
steps  he  stopped. 

Clearly  and  unmistakably  a  voice  had 
spoken  to  him.  Not  with  his  ears,  but  in  the 
depths  of  his  heart  he  heard  it;  and  the 
words  were  those  he  had  read  so  often  in 
his  Latin  Bible : 

''The  just  shall  live  by  faith." 

Not  by  doing  acts  of  merit,  not  by  pray- 
ers   and   penances,    just   by   believing   in 

84 


A  VISIT  TO  ROME 


Christ,  the  pardoner  of  sins!  It  was  just 
what  Dr.  Staupitz  had  told  him  long  ago 
at  Erfurt. 

*'What  are  you  doing  here,  Martin?"  he 
said  to  himself.  ^^This  is  not  the  way  to 
please  God!" 

If  any  one  had  been  watching  the  Holy 
Staircase  he  would  have  been  horrified  by 
what  happened  next. 

Martin  rose  to  his  feet  and  walked  firmly 
down  the  steps,  worn  into  hollows  by  the 
knees  of  many  pilgrims.  Off  he  strode,  and 
never  looked  behind;  and  as  he  went  he 
repeated  softly  to  himself  the  words, 

'^By  faith!  by  faith!" 


85 


DOCTOR  MARTIN 


vin 

DOCTOR  MARTIN", 

THERE  are  two  churches,  Kunz,     I 
see    two    spires    rising    above    the 
houses.    Be  sure  to  get  the  right  one!" 

^^Have  no  fear,  Else.  We  shall  know 
the  Castle  Church  by  the  streams  of  pil- 
grims going  to  see  the  holy  relics.  Come, 
this  is  the  way." 

The  wrinkled  features  of  the  old  couple 
beamed  with  delight  as  they  hastened  along 
the  narrow  street.  Their  homespun  cloth- 
ing and  toil-worn  hands  revealed  them  as 
hard-working  peasants;  their  dusty  shoes 
told  that  they  had  walked  many  miles  on 
their  pilgrimage. 

^*  There  are  a  great  many  holy  relics  that 
the  Elector  has  gathered,  are  there  not?" 
asked  Else  as  they  hurried  on. 

89 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


'^More  than  five  thousand!"  said  Kunz 
proudly.  ^^  Never  was  there  such  a  collector 
of  relics  as  our  gracious  Elector  Frederick ! 
He  brought  back  many  of  them  from  his 
pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem,  Father  Just  told 
me;  but  he  is  getting  new  ones  all  the 
time." 

^^ Shall  we  know  which  is  St.  Elizabeth's 
hair?"  queried  Else,  dubiously.  ^'That  is 
the  one  I  wish  most  of  all  to  see;  because 
I  was  born  on  her  day,  and  named  for  her, 
and  I  pray  to  her  every  day.  Can  we  find 
it  among  so  many*^" 

^' There  will  be  some  one  to  tell  us  which 
it  is,"  said  Kunz.  ^*Look,  we  are  almost 
there!    This  must  be  the  church." 

^^Yes,"  said  a  man  standing  near  by, 
^^This  is  the  new  Castle  Church  which  the 
Elector  has  just  built.  You  would  not 
think  to  see  it,  that  a  few  years  ago  there 
was  nothing  here  but  a  little  building  of 
wood  plastered  with  clay  in  the  cracks, 
and  a  pulpit  of  rough  boards!  But  the 
Elector  does  nothing  by  halves.     He  has 

90 


DOCTOR  MARTIN 


built  a  church  that  is  worthy  of  the  holy 
relics." 

^'This  is  the  place,  then,  to  see  the  relics'?" 
questioned  Kunz. 

'^Come,  I  will  go  with  you  and  show 
you  the  way,"  said  the  man.  '^So  many 
come  here  that  the  sacristans  are  always 
busy  and  it  might  be  some  time  before  they 
could  attend  to  you." 

The  kind  stranger  piloted  the  old  people 
safely  into  the  chapel  where  the  relics  were 
kept. 

''Here  is  where  you  pay  your  money. 
Now,  this  way,  friends !  Here  are  the  relics ; 
you  could  not  see  them  all  if  you  stayed 
for  days,  but  I  will  show  you  where  some 
of  them  are.  Here  is  a  tooth  of  St.  Beatrice ; 
here  a  bone  of  St.  Juliana ;  these  are  finger 
bones  of  the  Holy  Iimocents,  slain  by  King 
Herod;  here  is " 

''Why  are  you  nudging  my  arm.  Else?" 
inquired  Kunz.  "Oh,  yes,  she  wants  to  see 
the  lock  of  St.  Elizabeth's  hair,  good  sir." 

"Oh,  that  is  not  so  distinguished  a  relic," 
91 


MARTIN  OF  IMANSFELD 


said  the  maiL  *'It  comes  from  our  own 
part  of  the  country;  just  over  yonder  at 
the  Wartburg  you  know,  was  the  saint's 
home.  Yet  she  is  truly  a  saint  of  great 
power/'  he  added,  crossing  himseK  de- 
voutly. 

^'It  is  black  I''  said  old  Else,  in  disap- 
pointment. ^^I  always  imagined  that  St. 
Elizabeth  had  golden  hair  shining  like  the 
sun!  And  is  this  truly  the  hair  of  my 
sweet  St  Elizabeth*?  I  must  say  a  prayer 
to  her  t'' 

The  well-worn  rosary  slid  through  the 
knotted  old  fingers,  as  bead  after  bead  was 
dropped  by  Else— ^  bead  for  every  prayer. 
Kunz  stood  by  with  bowed  head,  and  their 
guide  was  silent  till  the  old  woman's  de- 
votions were  finished. 

**Have  you  long  to  stay  in  Wittenberg^" 
he  asked,  as  Else  arose  from  her  knees. 

"We  thought  of  staying  several  days,*' 
said  Kunz.  "We  have  friends  who  live  just 
outside  the  gates.*' 

"Then  you  can  eome  here  at  other  times, '^ 
92 


DO  YOU  SEE  THE  PEOPLE  THRONGING  INTO  YONDER  DOOR.-"      DR.  MAR- 
TIN LUTHER  IS  GOING  TO  PREACH  TO-DAY  " 


DOCTOR  MARTIN 


said  the  man,  **an(i  see  all  the  mar\xlous 
things  at  your  leisure.  Just  now  there  is 
something  else  tliat  you  ought  not  to  miss. 
Do  you  see  the  i)eople  thronging  into  yonder 
doorl  Dr.  Martin  Luther  is  going  to 
preach  to-day;  would  you  not  like  to  hear 
him?" 

'^Dr.  Martin  Luther!"  echoed  the  old 
couple. 

' '  Oh,  yes ! ' '  said  Kimz.  '  *  Even  in  our  vil- 
lage there  are  those  who  have  been  to  hear 
him,  and  they  say  he  is  a  wonderful 
preacher.  Does  he  preach  here  all  the 
time?" 

*^No,  he  has  lately  become  pastor  of  the 
other  church  here — ^the  Town  Church,"  said 
their  guide.  **But  right  here,  in  the  little 
old  church  from  the  board  pulpit,  he 
preached  his  first  sermon  some  years  ago. 
And  as  to-day  is  a  festival  and  the  day 
before  the  dedication  of  the  new  church,  he 
has  been  asked  to  preach  here.  Shall  we  go 
in  to  hear  him?" 

About  two  hours  later,  Kimz  and  Else 
93 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


were  returning  slowly  to  the  gate  of  the 
city. 

^^Did  I  hear  him  aright  T'  asked  Kunz, 
rubbing  his  puzzled  brow.  ^^  Why,  it  sounded 
as  if  he  meant  to  say  that  pilgrimages  and 
relics  and  all  the  rest  were  of  no  use!" 

^^He  said  they  often  did  more  harm  than 
good,"  said  old  Else,  ^^and  that  people 
trusted  to  them  rather  than  to  faith  and 
the  love  of  God." 

^^If  that  were  so,"  said  Kunz,  ^Hhen 
there  would  be  no  need  to  spend  money  for 
indulgences,  God  would  forgive  us  with- 
out that.  I  remember  he  said,  ^Indulgences 
do  nothing  but  teach  people  to  fear  the 
punishment  of  sin,  instead  of  the  sin  it- 
self.'" 

^^ Truly,  we  know  ourselves,"  said  Else, 
^^how  wicked  George,  the  blacksmith's  son, 
bought  an  indulgence  for  three  years,  and 
then  came  home  and  robbed  his  poor  old 
father;  and  he  said  he  had  done  no  sin, 
because  all  the  evil  he  might  do  in  the  next 
three  years  was  already  forgiven!" 

94 


DOCTOR  MARTIN 


*'I  wish  I  knew  what  to  think!"  sighed 
Kimz.  *^If  these  sayings  are  true,  we  may 
as  well  go  home  and  say  our  prayers  to 
God,  instead  of  praying  before  the  relics 
of  the  saints!" 

*^I  am  sure  he  meant  every  word  he  said," 
declared  Else.  ^'His  bright,  dark  eyes 
seemed  to  look  straight  into  our  hearts. 
He  is  a  good  man,  I  know." 

^'Here  is  the  gate,"  said  Kunz.  ^^Let  us 
walk  a  little  faster;  I  am  very  hungry!" 

In  the  palace  of  the  great  Elector, 
Frederick  the  Wise,  sat  two  men.  One  was 
stout  and  of  middle  age,  with  richly  curl- 
ing beard  and  princely  dress;  the  other, 
slender  and  scholarly,  was  the  court 
preacher  and  private  secretary  of  the  Elec- 
tor— George  Spalatin,  Martin's  college 
friend. 

*^And  what  has  the  bold  fellow  to  say 
this  time'?"  inquired  the  Elector,  glancing 
at  a  letter  which  Spalatin  had  just  opened. 

^^He  thanks  your  Grace  for  the  gown 
95 


MARTIN  OF  IVIANSFELD 


you  sent  him,"  said  Spalatin,  with  a  smile. 
^^He  adds,  ^It  is  of  cloth  almost  too  rich 
for  a  preacher's  robe,  were  it  not  the  gift 
of  a  prince.'  " 

<^Why,  the  little  monk  can  turn  a  com- 
pliment as  well  as  if  he  had  been  brought 
up  in  a  court,"  laughed  the  Elector,  not 
ill  pleased.    '^What  else  does  he  say?" 

*^  There  are  no  compliments  in  the  rest 
of  it,"  said  Spalatin,  doubtfully. 

^'I  wager  not!"  said  Frederick,  stroking 
his  beard.  ^^He  is  not  given  to  compli- 
menting me  or  my  doings.  Yet  I  am  al- 
ways curious  to  know  what  he  will  say  and 
do  next.    Read  on,  George." 

^^  'As  to  what  you  write,'  "  read  Spalatin, 
*'  'about  the  most  illustrious  prince  speaking 
of  me  frequently  and  praising  me,  it  does 
not  please  me  at  alL  I  daily  see  and  experi- 
ence that  those  profit  me  most  who  speak  of 
me  worst  Yet  I  pray  you  permit  me  to 
thank  our  prince  for  his  favor  and  kind- 
ness, though  I  would  not  be  praised  by  you 

96 


DOCTOR  MARTIN 


or  any  man;  for  the  praise  of  man  is 
vain,  and  that  of  God  only  is  true.'  '' 

''There  it  is!"  said  Frederick.  ''What 
can  you  do  with  a  man  who  would  rather 
have  blame  than  praise?  He  cared  not  a 
bit  for  my  displeasure  when  he  preached 
two  months  ago,  in  my  own  Castle  Church, 
against  relics  and  indulgences!  I  have  no 
doubt  he  will  do  the  same  thing  again!" 

"He  is  not  ungrateful,  Your  Grace,"  said 
Spalatin.  "He  well  knows  that  it  was  your 
Highness  who  gave  the  money  for  his  doc- 
tor's degree,  which  he  could  never  have  paid 
himself;  and  I  have  not  failed  to  tell  him 
of  many  other  favors  from  your  Grace.  But 
he  is  far  more  concerned  about  the  favor  of 
God." 

"And  he  is  right!"  said  the  noble  Fred- 
erick. "Sometimes  I  think  I  ought  to  take 
a  lesson  from  him.  George,  tell  me  now 
what  was  in  that  letter  you  got  from  him 
last  spring,  which  you  tried  to  conceal,  and 
begged  me  not  to  ask  you  to  read!" 

"Tour  Grace,"  began  Spalatin  in  mis- 
97 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


ery;  but  the  Elector  clapped  him  kindly 
on  the  shoulder. 

*^You  must  and  shall  tell  me!  I  promise 
you  I  will  do  him  no  harm.  If  I  am  wrong, 
I  can  bear  to  learn  it  even  from  a  poor 
teacher  in  my  own  university !  If  I  cannot 
do  this,  let  men  no  more  call  me  Frederick 
the  Wise!" 

Unable  to  find  further  argument,  Spala- 
tin  drew  from  a  hidden  pocket  in  his  gown 
a  worn  and  faded  letter. 

^'  'Many  things,'  "  he  read, ''  'please  your 
Elector  and  appear  glorious  in  his  eyes, 
which  displease  God.  I  do  not  deny  that 
the  prince  is  most  wise  in  all  worldly  mat- 
ters, but  in  those  which  pertain  to  God 
and  salvation  I  think  he  is  seven  times 
blind.  I  do  not  wish  you  to  conceal  this; 
I  am  ready  to  say  it  to  him  myself.'  " 

Spalatin  glanced  up,  in  some  anxiety. 
The  Elector  sat  with  bowed  head,  pulling 
nervously  at  his  beard. 

At  last  he  looked  up,  and  there  was  no 
anger  in  his  face. 

98 


DOCTOR  MARTIN 


''You  may  go,  George,"  he  said  gently. 
''I  wish  to  be  alone  and  think  quietly  awhile 
on  these  bold  words.  What  a  courage  has 
the  little  monkl'' 


99 


THE  SOUND   OF   HAMMER-BLOWS 


IX 

THE  SOUND   OF   HAMMER-BLOWS 

THE  small  town  of  Juterbog  was  in  a 
great  stir  one  fair  morning  in  the  year 
1517.  Everybody  was  in  festal  array  and 
on  the  main  street  a  procession  seemed  to 
be  forming. 

Here  were  the  magistrates  of  the  little 
town;  the  teachers  of  its  schools,  leading 
their  scholars;  priests,  monks,  men  and 
women  of  every  degree,  carrvdng  candles 
and  garlands.  Over  their  heads  waved 
banners  and  pennants  of  every  description. 
It  was  plain  that  this  was  a  great  occa- 
sion. 

**Why,  good  morning,  cousin  Heinz!" 
exclaimed  a  portly  citizen,  whose  dress 
and  the  badge  he  wore  proclaimed  him  a 
member  of  the  ^* guild"  or  union  of  bakers. 
**I  did  not  know  you  were  here!" 

103 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


^^I  came  last  night  from  Wittenberg,'' 
said  Heinz  in  reply,  "I  wanted  to  see  what 
is  going  on  here." 

^^Ah,  you  can't  have  such  grand  doings 
as  this  in  Wittenberg!"  laughed  the  baker. 
^^Is  it  true  that  the  Elector  Frederick  has 
forbidden  the  sale  of  indulgences  in  his 
dominions?''' 

^'Yes,  Fritz,  it  is  true!"  replied  his 
cousin.  ^^He  wants  his  people  to  keep  all 
their  money  to  pay  for  his  own  churches 
and  colleges!  He  has  no  mind  to  divide  it 
with  the  Holy  Father  at  Eome!" 

^^It  matters  not  to  me  who  gets  the 
money,"  said  Fritz,  '^whether  it  is  Pope 
Leo  or  our  ovni  prince,  Albert;  whether 
it  goes  to  build  St.  Peter's  Church  at  Rome, 
or  to  pay  for  making  our  Albert  an  arch- 
bishop. All  I  care  for  is  to  receive  the 
pardon,  and  have  an  easy  mind  for  the  rest 
of  my  life!" 

^^For  myself,"  said  Heinz,  ^^I  think  it  is 
very  good  of  the  Holy  Father  to  sell  thus 
to  us  the  extra  merits  of  the  saints.   They 

104 


THE  SOUND  OF  HAMMER-BLOWS 

do  not  need  them  for  themselves,  and  it  is 
a  great  thing  for  folks  like  you  and  me 
who  are  too  busy  to  spend  our  lives  pray- 
ing and  doing  deeds  of  charity,  like  St. 
Martin,  St  George,  and  all  the  rest  of 
them." 

^'Bj  the  way,"  said  Fritz,  suddenly  re- 
minded of  something,  **how  about  your 
Dr.  Martin,  over  there  in  Wittenberg?  I 
hear  he  does  not  like  the  selling  of  pardons. " 

*^He  has  preached  against  it  several 
times,"  said  Heinz,  grudgingly. 

^^What  would  he  say,  if  he  knew  one  of 
his  flock  had  come  twenty  miles  to  meet 
Friar  Tetzel  and  get  an  indulgence?"  in- 
quired Fritz,  laughing. 

^^It  is  none  of  his  business!"  declared 
Heinz,  defiantly.  *  *  But  I  '11  confess  to  you, ' ' 
he  said,  in  a  lower  tone,  looking  around 
to  see  that  no  one  else  was  listening,  ^*that 
I  should  not  care  to  go  and  tell  Dr.  Martin 
that  I  had  been  here.  I  am  not  sure,  after 
all^  that  I  will  buy  a  pardon  j  I  only  came 

105 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


to  see  the  procession,  and  hear  what  the 
friar  has  to  say." 

*^I  must  leave  you  now!"  said  Fritz, 
catching  a  signal  from  another  of  the 
bakers.  *^Our  guild  is  ready  to  fall  in  line; 
the  procession  is  about  to  move.  I  will 
see  you  again,  cousin." 

The  banners  moved  forward;  the  choris- 
ters of  the  parish  church  struck  up  a  chant, 
and  the  whole  company  began  their  march. 
Yonder  on  the  road  was  a  distant  cloud  of 
dust.  Friar  John  Tetzel  was  coming  to 
set  up  the  sale  of  pardons  in  Juterbog. 

First  out  of  the  dust-cloud  appeared  a 
man  on  horseback,  bearing  a  great  red  cross. 
Next  came  another  rider,  holding  a  velvet 
cushion  on  which  lay  a  roll  of  parchment, 
with  a  heavy  seal  hanging  from  it. 

^^That  is  Friar  Tetzel's  commission  from 
the  Holy  Father  to  sell  us  pardons!"  went 
around  the  whisper. 

Next  was  carried  upon  a  wagon  a  great 
box,  which  was  full  of  pardons,  ready  to  be 
signed  with  the  names  of  purchasers. 

106 


THE  SOUND  OF  HAMMER-BLOWS 

Last,  but  most  important,  came  the  chest 
in  which  the  money  was  to  be  placed. 

After  all  these  badges  of  his  office,  with 
other  monlvs  in  attendance,  came  the  power- 
ful figure  of  John  Tetzel — a  man  of  about 
sixty,  erect  and  proud,  looking  about  on 
the  people  who  had  come  to  meet  him  as  a 
monarch  might  acknowledge  the  greetings 
of  his  subjects. 

The  procession  from  the  town,  which  had 
taken  the  side  of  the  road  when  the  red 
cross  drew  near,  now  fell  in  behind  the  new- 
comers, and  followed  into  the  village.  Over 
a  flower-strewn  way,  with  songs  of  triumph, 
the  people  of  Juterbog  conducted  the  seller 
of  pardons  into  their  little  city. 

Up  the  street  and  into  the  church  they 
went;  the  first  magistrate  humbly  holding 
the  friar's  stirrup  while  the  rider  dis- 
mounted. 

The  red  cross  was  set  up  in  front  of  the 
high  altar;  the  chest  of  indulgences  was 
placed  beside  it.  Then  Friar  Tetzel  mounted 
the  pulpit  and  preached  to  a  crowded  house. 

107 


IVIARTIN  OF  IVIANSFELD 


As  lie  proceeded,  many  of  his  hearers  wept 
and  trembled.  Dreadful  were  the  pictures 
he  drew  of  the  torments  of  purgatory.  There, 
he  told  them,  their  parents  and  friends  were 
suffering  in  the  flames,  and  to  give  them  a 
chance  for  rescue  he  had  come  this  day  to 
Juterbog. 

^^Lo,  heaven  is  openi"  he  cried,  **When 
win  you  enter,  if  not  now?  Oh,  senseless 
men,  who  do  not  appreciate  such  a  shedding 
forth  of  grace,  how  hard-hearted  you  are! 
For  twelve  pennies  you  can  deliver  your 
father,  yet  nevertheless  you  are  so  ungrate- 
ful as  not  to  relieve  him  in  his  distress.  I 
tell  you  that  if  you  have  but  one  garment  you 
should  part  with  it  rather  than  fail  of  such 
grace!'' 

After  the  sermon  the  traffic  began  in  ear- 
nest All  smiles  and  bows  was  Friar  Tetzel 
now. 

**This  way!  just  step  this  way,  my  dear 
friends.  That  is  right !  Ah,  this  is  a  blessed 
day!    Ab  soon  as  the  money  tinkles  in  the 

108 


THE  SOUND  OF  HAMMER-BLOWS 

chest  the  soul  of  your  friend  will  take  its 
flight  for  Paradise  1 

^'Tes,  you  can  buy  an  indulgence  for  your 
whole  life,  if  you  will,  and  it  will  keep  you 
out  of  purgatory  in  the  bargain.  Blessed  be 
the  saints  and  our  Holy  Father,  Leo!" 

When  at  last  Heinz  of  Wittenberg  passed 
out  of  the  church  door,  a  fair,  new  pardon, 
signed  and  sealed^  reposed  in  the  bosom  of 
his  doublet 

He  was  not  the  last  of  Dr.  Martin's  flock 
to  seek  the  sign  of  the  red  cross,  where  the 
eloquent  friar  ^^sold  grace  for  gold,'*  as 
thedx  fearless  preacher  put  it. 

In  spite  of  all  that  Martin  Luther  could 
say,  many  of  his  people  went,  secretly  or 
openly,  to  Juterbog;  and  few  if  any  came 
honae  without  an  indulgenca 

^'Why  does  not  Dr.  Martin  do  some- 
thing'?" asked  many  of  his  Wittenberg 
friends  as  the  days  went  by.  *^He  could  hit 
the  traffic  a  harder  blow  than  it  has  ever  yet 
received,  if  he  only  would.  Why  does  he 
waitr' 

109 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


And  then,  on  a  misty  autumn  morning 
— ^the  31st  of  October,  1517 — there  was  an 
echoing  soimd  of  hammer-blows  along  a 
quiet  street  in  Wittenberg. 

Some  of  the  neighbors  peered  from  their 
doors  to  see  what  caused  the  noise ;  but  all 
they  saw  was  the  figure  of  a  man,  robed  in 
the  black  gown  of  a  scholar,  walking  quickly 
away  from  the  Castle  Church ;  and  there,  on 
the  church  door,  was  a  broad  sheet  of  white. 

There  was  nothing  unusual  about  that. 
Notices  were  often  posted  on  the  doors  of 
the  church;  and  those  who  recognized  the 
figure  in  the  black  robe  only  said: 

*^Dr.  Martin  has  a  long  notice  to  post  to- 
day." 

But  about  the  time  of  the  afternoon  serv- 
ice, held  in  honor  of  the  Eve  of  All  Saints, 
there  was  a  diferent  scene  about  the  church 
door.  Students  and  professors  elbowed  one 
another  for  a  chance  to  read  what  was  writ- 
ten on  that  white  sheet.  Townspeople,  com- 
ing to  the  service,  formed  an  outer  circle, 
asking  curious  questions.    Here  and  there, 

110 


THE  SOUND  OF  HAMMER-BLOWS 

a  friendly  scholar  was  translating  bits  of  the 
Latin  into  German  for  the  benefit  of  less 
learned  friends. 

^^The  preachers  of  indulgences  are  mis- 
taken who  say  that  the  Pope 's  pardon  frees 
a  man  from  all  punishment  and  makes  his 
salvation  sure." 

'^  Every  Christian  who  truly  repents  has 
full  forgiveness  of  sins,  even  without  letters 
of  pardon." 

*^  Christians  are  to  be  taught  that  he  who 
gives  to  the  poor  or  lends  to  one  in  need  does 
better  than  he  who  buys  indulgences." 

*'If  the  Pope  knew  how  the  preachers  of 
indulgences  rob  the  people,  he  would  rather 
have  St.  Peter's  Church  in  ashes  than  have 
it  built  with  the  flesh  and  bones  of  his 
sheep." 

*^To  bring  out  the  truth,  Dr.  Martin  Lu- 
ther will  hold  a  debate  on  these  questions  at 
Wittenberg.  Those  who  cannot  be  present, 
but  wish  to  take  part  in  this  debate,  are  asked 
to  send  their  opinions  by  letter." 

^^Is  that  all?"  demanded  a  prosperous 
111 


IVIARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


citizen  of  Ms  student  nephew,  who  had  been 
interpreting  for  him. 

^'No,  there  are  ninety-five  such  statements, 
or  theses,''  said  the  young  man.  ''I  tell 
you,  uncle,  this  will  make  a  stir!" 

The  student  was  not  mistaken.  Within 
two  weeks,  all  Germany  was  ringing  with  the 
Ninety-five  Theses  of  Dr.  Martin  Luther, 
preacher  and  professor  at  Wittenberg ;  and 
Friar  John  Tetzel  with  frowning  brow  had 
left  his  money-chest  a  little  while  and  was 
busily  penning  a  reply. 

^'In  four  weeks,"  wrote  one  of  Martin's 
friends,  ^^the  Theses  were  spread  over  all 
Christendom,  as  though  the  angels  were  the 
postmen," 


112 


DR.   MABTIN'S  bonfire 


DR.   martin's  bonfire 

"T  II  THAT  is  the  matter  this  morning?" 
V  V     asked  the  youngest  professor  of  the 
University  of  Wittenberg  laying  down  his 
book  in  despair. 

^*0h,  dear  Master  Philip,"  spoke  np  a 
restless  student,  ** please  pardon  us!  Your 
lecture  is  most  excellent,  but  you  know  we 
are  all  excited,  and  it  is  hard  for  us  to  give 
attention  to-day." 

The  thin  face  of  Master  Philip  Melanch- 
thon  broke  into  a  smile.  He  was  scarcely  as 
old  as  many  of  his  pupils,  and  his  slight 
figure  and  homely  features  had  been  a  dis- 
appointment to  those  who  saw  him  when 
first  he  came  to  Wittenberg.  But  one  lec- 
ture was  enough  to  make  them  feel  that  no 
more  learned  man  had  ever  entered  among 
them. 

115 


IVIARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


Most  of  all  was  Martin  Luther  drawn  to 
this  youth,  fourteen  years  younger  than  him- 
self, so  different  in  every  way  from  the  bold 
preacher  against  indulgences. 

^^I  am  bom  to  fight  with  mobs  and  evil 
spirits,"  he  often  said,  *^and  so  my  writings 
are  very  stormy  and  warlilvc.  I  must  re- 
move trees  and  stumps,  cut  away  thorns  and 
thickets,  and  fill  up  quaking  bogs.  I  am 
the  rough  woodsman  who  must  blaze  the 
way  and  clear  the  path.  But  Master  Philip 
comes  along  gently  and  quietly;  builds  and 
plants,  sows  and  waters  with  joy  according 
to  the  gifts  God  has  richly  bestowed  upon 
him." 

Master  Philip  was  beloved  by  all  the 
students.  His  lecture-room  was  always 
crowded.  But  Dr.  Martin  was  their  hero; 
and  to-day  they  were  all  in  excitement  be- 
cause of  a  rumor  that  was  afloat  about  him. 

The  students  were  quick  to  catch  Master 
Philip 's  smile. 

*^Tell  us,  dear  sir,"  pursued  the  speaker, 
^^is  it  true  that  we  are  to  have  a  bonfire  T' 

116 


MASTER   PHILIP    WAS    BELOVED    BY    ALL   THE    STUDENTS 


DR.  MARTIN'S  BONFIRE 


^^You  will  know  to-morrow  morning!" 
said  the  teacher,  his  face  growing  grave  once 
more.  *^But,  since  all  of  us  are  inclined  to 
think  of  other  things,  we  will  dismiss  for 
to-day." 

With  the  roar  of  a  breaking  torrent  the 
crowd  of  eager  students  surged  from  the  lec- 
ture-room. 

**It  scarcely  seems  like  three  years,"  said 
Urban  Gratz  to  his  friend  Franz  Spengler, 
as  they  left  the  classroom  together,  ^^  since 
we  stood  around  the  door  of  the  Castle 
Church,  reading  Dr.  Martin's  great  chal- 
lenge to  the  pope ! ' ' 

^^How  much  has  happened  since  then!" 
replied  Franz.  ^^Dr.  Martin  is  now  the  best 
known  man  in  all  Europe.  But  he  did  not 
think,  when  he  posted  his  Theses,  that  he 
would  ever  be  at  strife  with  the  whole 
Church  of  Eome!" 

^^Nor  be  cast  out  of  it  by  the  pope!"  re- 
turned Urban.  ^^How  he  urged  us  always 
to  be  loyal  to  the  head  of  the  Church,  and 

117 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


said  that  surely  the  pope  could  not  know 
what  his  priests  and  bishops  were  doing.'' 

**He  thought  the  Holy  Father  would 
surely  judge  his  case  justly,"  said  Franz, 
*^but  he  has  found  out  that  there  was  no 
justice  for  him  in  Rome." 

*^Dr.  Martin  cares  little  that  he  has 
been  declared  a  heretic,''  laughed  Urban. 
^^When  this  bull  of  the  pope  came  out,  it 
gave  him  sixty  days  to  recant  his  errors. 
Now  six  months  have  passed  and  he  has  not 
taken  back  a  word!" 

**What  a  fuss  they  have  made  over  him, 
sending  learned  doctors  and  cardinals  to 
change  his  mind!"  rejoined  Franz.  ^^But 
this  bull  makes  me  angry,  little  as  Dr.  Mar- 
tin cares  for  it.  The  decrees  of  the  pope,  if 
he  were  really  a  good  or  wise  man,  would 
not  condemn  without  reason."  And  he  be- 
gan to  recite  the  opening  sentence  of  the 
bull  or  decree  issued  by  the  pope  against 
Martin  Luther. 

**  Arise,  Lord,  plead  thine  own  cause,  arise 
118 


DR.  MARTIN'S  BONFIRE 


and  protect  the  vineyard  thou  gavest  Peter 
from  the  wild  beast  who  is  devouring  it." 

*'Wild  beast!"  he  quoted,  scornfully. 
^^Our  Dr.  Martin!  Never  mind,  we  shall 
have  some  fun  to-morrow!" 

**The  students  at  Leipsic  tore  the  bull  to 
pieces, ' '  said  Urban.  ' '  At  Erfurt,  they  threw 
it  into  the  water,  saying,  *It  is  only  a  bubble ; 
let  it  float!'  Here  we  shall  give  it  to  the 
flames.  I  hope  Dr.  Martin  himself  will  do 
it!" 

Next  morning  the  students  shouted  with 
joy  over  the  announcement  they  found 
posted  in  Master  Philip's  handwriting. 

^'Whoever  is  devoted  to  gospel  truth,  let 
him  be  on  hand  at  nine  o'clock  by  the  Church 
of  the  Holy  Cross,  outside  the  walls " 


Most  of  the  readers  waited  to  see  no  more ; 
they  knew  well  why  the  summons  was 
given.  There  was  no  thought  of  lectures  that 
day.  Long  before  nine  o'clock,  streams  of 
townspeople  and  students  went  pouring  out 
of  the  city  gate,  seeking  good  places  to  see 
what  was  about  to  happen. 

119 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


Already  willing  hands  had  brought  wood, 
and  had  piled  upon  it  the  books  that  con- 
tained the  laws  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

'^He  is  coming!  Our  Doctor  is  coming!" 
ran  a  murmur  through  the  crowd. 

Pale  but  resolute,  with  set  lips  and  clutch- 
ing a  roll  of  parchment  in  his  hand.  Dr. 
Martin  came  from  the  city  gate.  Around 
him  were  the  professors  of  the  University, 
all  in  the  robes  of  their  office. 

The  students  were  ready  to  cheer,  but  the 
grave  looks  of  their  teachers  held  them  in 
check.  This  was  no  holiday  game,  but  the 
defiance  of  a  brave  man  to  a  Church  that 
had  3ast  him  out  for  trying  to  cleanse  it  of 
its  errors.  It  might  mean  life  or  death  for 
the  fearless  Doctor,  trouble  for  Wittenberg, 
and  difficulties  for  its  princely  master,  the 
Elector  Frederick. 

Now  the  little  company  had  arrived  at 
the  heap  prepared  for  the  burning. 

Master  Philip,  kneeling  down,  set  fire  to 
the  wood.  The  whole  assembly  seemed  to 
hold  its  breath.    It  was  so  still  that  all  could 

120 


DR.  MARTIN'S  BONFIRE 


hear  the  crackling  of  the  little  flames  as 
they  rose  around  the  dry  fagots.  A  thin  col- 
umn of  blue  smoke  rose  quickly  into  the 
frosty  December  air. 

Silently  they  watched  while  the  fire  drew 
the  leathern  covers  and  crisped  the  edges  of 
the  books  that  lay  upon  it. 

When  all  was  well  kindled,  Dr.  Martin 
came  forward.  The  pope's  decree  was  un- 
rolled in  his  hand,  the  hulla  or  seal  that  gave 
it  the  name  of  bull  dangling  close  above  the 
flames. 

Then  the  strong,  penetrating  voice  of  Mar- 
tin Luther  rose  high  and  clear  without  a 
quiver  or  a  break.  It  was  not  his  own  en- 
emy, but  that  of  Christ  and  the  truth  which 
he  was  about  to  destrov. 

*^  Because  thou  hast  troubled  the  Holy  One 
of  God,''  he  cried  out  to  the  parchment  dan- 
gling from  his  hand,  ^^may  eternal  fire  con- 
sume thee!" 

In  another  moment,  the  parchment  lay 
curling  and  twisting  like  a  living  thing 
among  the  flames. 

121 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


Then  the  students  could  be  restrained  no 
longer.  Some  one  began  to  sing  the  great 
diant  of  thanksgiving : 

*  ' ' We  praise  thee,  O  God !' ' 

Voice  after  voice  caught  it  up,  until  the 
Vrhole  company  was  rolling  the  melody  up  to 
the  cloudy  winter  skies. 

Then  Dr.  Martin  and  the  other  professors 
turned  and  went  back  to  the  city. 

All  day  the  excited  students  went  about 
the  town  gathering  all  the  books  that  they 
could  find  written  by  Luther's  opponents — 
of  whom  therf^  were  many — and  bringing 
them  to  the  bonfire,  to  keep  it  burning. 

The  spirit  of  sport  came  upon  them  and 
they  held  a  mock  funeral  over  the  ashes,  with 
chants  and  orations. 

But  Dr.  Martin  spent  many  hours  in 
prayer.  He  had  attacked  the  evils  in  the 
Church;  the  Church  had  cast  him  out.  He 
had  great  need  of  converse  with  the  God  in 
whose  name  he  had  made  his  protest. 

122 


BEFORE  THE  GREAT  CJOTJNCIIi 


XI 

BEFORE  THE   GREAT   COUNCIL 

A  CARRIAGE,  in  which  sat  four  men, 
was  rapidly  approaching  the  imperial 
city  of  Worms.  After  it  rode  a  nmnber  of 
horsemen,  and  before  it  advanced  a  herald, 
bearing  the  yellow  and  black  banner  of  the 
empire. 

*^See  how  the  people  are  pouring  from  the 
gate  to  receive  him!''  said  one  of  the  riders, 
Dr.  Justus  Jonas  of  Wittenberg,  to  a  com- 
panion. **Hark!  the  watchman  on  the  gate 
sounds  a  trumpet,  to  announce  his  coming  to 
the  whole  city !  Now  all  the  people  are  leav- 
ing their  midday  meal,  and  pouring  into  the 
streets  to  see  Dr.  Martin  Luther!" 

' '  He  is  coming !  he  is  coming ! ' '  rose  the  cry 
within  the  city. 

*'Come,  hasten!  let  us  see  the  great  man," 
exclaimed  one  citizen  to  another. 

125 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


'^TMs  is  a  great  day!"  replied  his  neigh- 
bor, as  they  strained  their  eyes  toward  the 
gate.  *  *  The  man  is  coming  who  has  taken  up 
the  cause  of  the  people  against  the  priests 
and  bishops,  yes,  against  the  pope  himself! 
No  wonder  the  whole  nation  has  arisen  to 
stand  behind  him ! ' ' 

'^Not  all!''  said  a  surly  voice  beside  them. 
''Not  all,  good  neighbor.  Archbishop  Al- 
bert is  furious  with  him;  Duke  George  de- 
clares that  he  shall  lose  his  head.  It  will  be 
well  for  the  noisy  heretic  if  he  returns  alive 
from  Worms." 

^^He  has  the  emperor's  promise  of  safe- 
conduct  ! ' '  said  the  first. 

^*So  had  John  Huss  at  Constance,"  re- 
turned the  other,  ^ '  yet  they  burned  him  alive ! 
This  Luther  should  be  careful  how  he  an- 
swers the  great  and  mighty  Council." 

^^See !"  said  another,  pointing  to  an  upper 
window.  **See  the  pope's  ambassador,  the 
wily  Aleander,  peeping  from  his  window, 
like  a  snake  from  a  hole,  to  see  what  Dr. 
Martin  looks  like." 

126 


BEFORE  THE  GREAT  COUNCll. 

^^He  dare  not  come  out,"  said  the  first 
speaker.  ^^He  is  so  hated  here,  since  Dr. 
Martin's  books  were  burned  at  his  insistence, 
that  he  would  run  the  risk  of  being  stoned, 
if  he  showed  himself  just  now." 

*'And  much  good  it  did  to  bum  them!" 
said  his  friend.  *^The  city  is  full  of  them 
again ;  they  are  offered  for  sale  even  at  the 
doors  of  the  bishop's  palace." 

*^Wait,  neighbors,"  said  the  surly  voice 
once  more.  ^^It  may  not  be  books  alone  that 
are  burned  at  Worms,  before  the  Diet  is 
over." 

^'He  comes!  he  comes!"  broke  out  the 
shouts  again,  as  the  banner  of  the  empire 
came  in  sight. 

Around  the  corner  came  the  carriage,  and 
halted  at  the  hotel  of  the  Kjiights  of  St 
John.  Out  of  it  stepped  a  short,  dark- 
haired  man  in  a  black  gown. 

He  cast  a  glance  around,  with  his  pierc- 
ing, dark  eyes.  The  throng  pressed  to  touch 
his  garments. 

Up  at  the  housetops  he  looked ;  down  the 
127 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


street  and  up  again.  Every  door,  every  win- 
dow, was  crowded  with  gazing  faces. 

^^God  be  with  me !"  exclaimed  Martin  Lu- 
ther, feeling  suddenly  that  the  eyes  of  all 
Germany,  yes,  of  all  Europe,  were  upon  him. 

Then,  turning  quickly,  he  passed  into  his 
hotel. 

That  evening  came  his  friend,  George 
Spalatin,  the  Elector's  secretary,  to  greet 
Dr.  Martin. 

'*  Thank  God  that  you  have  arrived  in 
safety!"  he  exclaimed,  greeting  Martin  with 
warm  affection. 

^^Our  journey  has  been  safe  and  prosper- 
ous, dear  George,"  returned  Dr.  Martin, 
brightly. 

*'He  speaks  very  mildly  of  his  triumphal 
procession,"  said  Dr.  Jonas,  laughing.  '*At 
every  city  and  hamlet  he  was  met  by 
marching  and  singing  people,  cheering  him 
on  his  way. 

*^When  we  came  near  Erfurt  the  whole 
town  poured  out  to  welcome  him.  Profes- 
sors, students,  citizens,  all  came  flocking  out. 

128 


BEFORE  THE  GREAT  COUNCn. 

Dr.  Eoban  Hess,  one  of  his  old  college  mates, 
had  prepared  a  poem  in  his  honor ;  another 
delivered  an  oration. 

^^We  stayed  there  over  Sunday;  and  an- 
other good  friend  of  Dr.  Martin's,  Prior 
John  Lange,  asked  him  to  preach  for  him. 
The  church  was  so  crowded  that  one  of  the 
galleries  cracked,  and  the  people  thought  it 
was  going  to  break  down.  But  Dr.  Martin 
cried  out  to  them  to  have  no  fear,  and  quieted 
them ;  then  he  went  on  and  finished  his  ser- 
mon. 

^^  Everywhere  the  people  begged  him  not 
to  come  to  Worms. 

''  ^  Your  life  is  not  safe,  dear  Dr.  Martin. 
Do  not  go  on,'  was  the  cry  on  every  hand. 
But  he  answered, 

"  'Though  there  were  as  many  devils  in 
Worms  as  there  are  tiles  on  the  houseroof s, 
I  would  still  go  on!'  " 

''Yes,"  replied  Spalatin,  ''I  myself  was 
afraid,  and  sent  him  a  message  to  turn  back ; 
but  his  faith  and  courage  make  me  ashamed 
to  fear.    The  Elector  is  here,  and  will  stand 

129 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


by  Ms  professor  and  Ms  umversity  to  the 
utmost  of  Ms  power/' 

^^I  have  a  stronger  Friend  than  the  great 
Elector,  dear  George/'  put  in  Martin  with 
a  quiet  smile. 

Next  day  the  summons  came  for  Martin 
to  appear  before  the  great  Diet,  or  council 
of  the  empire,  which  was  holding  its  ses- 
sions in  the  bishop 's  palace. 

The  streets  were  so  thronged  that  the  im- 
perial herald  was  not  able  to  get  Dr.  Mar- 
tin safely  through  the  crowd;  they  were 
obliged  to  go  back  into  the  hotel  garden  and 
so  make  their  way  to  the  garden  of  the 
palace. 

Into  the  great  hall  the  herald  led  the  soli- 
tary, black-robed  figure.  Within  sat  wait- 
ing for  him  all  the  nobles  and  princes  of 
the  empire. 

Just  as  the  doors  were  opened,  the  gray- 
bearded  old  general,  George  of  Frundsberg, 
stepped  to  his  side  and  slapped  him  on  the 
shoulder. 

* '  Little  monk,  little  monk ! ' '  he  said  kindly, 
130 


BEFORE  THE  GREAT  COUNCIL 


a 


you  are  about  to  go  into  a  more  terrible 
battle  than  I  and  my  knights  have  ever 
fought;  but  if  your  cause  is  just,  and  God 
is  with  you,  go  forward  boldly,  and  have  no 
fear!" 

And  from  all  around  came  cries  of  encour- 
agement. 

^  ^  Play  the  man !    Fear  not ! ' ' 

From  the  crowd  outside,  and  the  people  in 
the  streets,  arose  shouts  that  could  be  heard 
within  the  palace. 

'^ Luther,  our  Luther!"  ''God  bless  Dr. 
Martin!" 

So  he  went  in,  with  smiling  lips,  to  face 
the  brilliant  assembly. 

On  the  throne  chair,  in  his  robes  of  state, 
sat  the  young  emperor,  Charles  the  Fifth. 
His  long,  pale  face  was  calm  as  marble ;  but 
as  his  eyes  fell  on  the  slight  figure  following 
the  herald  a  sneer  crossed  his  cold  lips. 
Turning  to  the  nobles  beside  him  he  said  dis- 
dainfully, 

' '  Is  that  the  monk  ?  He  will  never  make  a 
heretic  of  me!" 

131 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


All  about  him  gathered  the  princes  of  his 
realm — archbishops,  cardinals,  electors,  mar- 
graves, dukes,  and  landgraves ;  beside  these, 
the  ambassadors  of  all  the  principal  rulers 
of  Europe. 

Among  them  all  Dr.  Martin  saw  but  one 
face  he  could  count  friendly — the  broad, 
good-natured  countenance  of  the  wise  Elec- 
tor Frederick.  Cold  and  hostile  looks  were 
plenty;  and  among  them  the  dark,  crafty 
face  of  the  pope's  ambassador,  Aleander, 
cast  on  him  such  a  look  of  hatred  that  he 
said  to  himself : 

*^So  must  Annas  and  Caiaphas  have 
looked  on  my  Lord  and  Master!" 

^^What  terrible  eyes  he  has!"  thought 
Aleander,  shrinking  from  the  keen  gaze.  ' '  I 
wish  he  would  not  look  at  me!" 

Beside  the  throne  stood  a  table  with  books 
upon  it.  As  Luther  glanced  toward  it,  he 
saw  the  titles  of  several  of  his  own  books. 

Then  the  voice  of  the  chancellor  broke 
the  silence. 

*^ Martin  Luther,  his  imperial  majesty  has 
132 


BEFORE  THE  GREAT  COUNCIL 

summoned  you  here,  that  you  may  recant 
and  recall  the  words  you  have  written  in 
these  books,  published  by  you  and  spread 
abroad. 

'^  First,  do  you  confess  that  these  books, 
having  your  name  on  the  title-page,  were 
written  by  you  ? 

^^  Second,  will  you  recall  and  retract  what 
vou  have  said  in  them,  or  will  vou  reaffirm 
what  is  written  therein?" 

' '  Let  the  titles  of  the  books  be  read ! ' '  cried 
a  voice. 

As  the  names  of  the  books  were  read,  one 
after  another,  Luther  bowed  his  head,  assent- 
ing to  each.    At  the  close,  he  spoke. 

^^I  cannot  deny  that  I  have  written  all  the 
books  named ;  and  I  have  also  written  some 
others  not  mentioned  here. 

"As  to  the  other  question,  it  is  too  grave 
to  be  answered  in  a  word;  for,  not  having 
considered  what  I  am  to  reply,  I  might  not 
answer  wisely,  and  might  utter  either  more 
or  less  than  the  exact  truth. 

"Therefore,  I  beg  that  your  Imperial 
133 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


Majesty  will  give  me  time  to  consider,  that  I 
may  answer  the  question  without  denying 
my  Lord  or  losing  my  own  soul." 

There  was  a  buzz  of  excited  conversation 
among  the  councilors.  The  Italian  ambassa- 
dors did  not  want  delay;  the  heretic  had 
spoken  in  a  low  voice,  and  they  believed  that 
he  was  frightened  and  ready  to  recant  if  he 
were  threatened. 

At  length  the  chancellor  announced  that 
a  delay  of  twenty-four  hours  should  be 
granted;  and  the  herald  led  Martin  back 
to  his  room  at  the  inn. 


im 


^^HERE  I  stand'* 


XII 


'*HERE   I  stand" 


FRIGHTENED^  not  at  all!''  declared 
Justus  Jonas  next  day  to  the  friends 
who  besieged  the  hotel  all  the  morning. 
*^You  will  hear  whether  he  is  frightened 
when  he  is  ready  to  give  his  answer!" 

'^But  why  did  he  not  answer  at  once?" 
asked  one  impatient  noble. 

**Dear  sir,"  said  Dr.  Jonas,  ^^he  wanted 
to  consult  a  Friend." 

*^What  friend?"  exclaimed  the  noble  in 
surprise.  ' '  Surely  Dr.  Martin  needs  no  one 
to  tell  hun  w^hat  to  say!  Did  he  consult  a 
lawyer,  so  that  he  might  be  sure  of  saying 
nothing  his  enemies  might  turn  against 
him?" 

*^A11  night,"  said  Dr.  Jonas,  in  a  lower 
tone,  *^all  night  we  have  heard  Dr.  Martin's 

137 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


Toice,  in  his  room,  talking  with  his  Friend, 

*^  'O  thou,  my  God!'  we  heard  him  say, 
^  stand  by  me  against  the  wisdom  of  the 
world !  It  is  thy  cause,  not  mine.  For  mine 
own  honor  I  am  not  concerned;  with  these 
great  men  of  the  world  I  have  nothing  to  do. 
I  am  ready  to  sacrifice  my  life,  as  patiently 
as  a  lamb.  But  the  cause  is  thine ;  thou  must 
help  me  to  defend  it!'  " 

The  nobleman's  voice  was  husky,  as  he 
turned  away. 

* '  God  grant  it ! "  he  said. 

Once  more,  late  in  the  afternoon,  the 
herald  came  to  conduct  Dr.  Martin  before 
the  Diet.  The  crowd  in  the  streets  was 
greater  than  ever,  and  again  they  made  their 
way  through  the  gardens  to  the  palace. 

^^How  cheerful  he  looks!"  said  the  watch- 
ers in  the  palace  court,  as  Martin  passed  into 
the  building. 

'^  Perhaps  he  has  made  up  his  mind  to  re- 
cant," said  one.    ^^He  knows  he  is  safe." 

The  hall  was  so  crowded  that  the  princes 
had  difficulty  in  getting  to  their  seats.    Al- 

138 


"HERE  I  STAND" 


eander  was  not  present.  He  said  that  the 
pope's  ambassador  could  not  demean  him- 
self by  hearing  a  heretic  speak.  Probably 
the  ^Herrible  eyes"  of  the  lonely  monk  had 
more  to  do  with  his  absence. 

Again  the  chancellor  called  on  Dr.  Mar- 
tin to  recant.  His  words  were  bitter  and 
threatening ;  but  they  made  no  change  in  the 
serene  look  on  the  face  of  the  accused. 

Then  Martin  Luther  began  to  speak.  All 
hesitation  was  gone  from  his  manner.  His 
head  was  raised,  and  his  ringing  voice 
reached  every  comer  of  the  crowded  hall. 

*'Most  serene  Lord  and  Emperor,"  he  be- 
gan, **most  illustrious  princes,  most  clement 
lords " 

The  throng  grew  still  as  death  to  listen. 
The  April  twilight  was  darkening,  and 
torches  had  been  lighted  to  illuminate  the 
hall.  The  heat  grew  intense;  yet  no  one 
stirred,  while  Dr.  Martin  spoke  on  and  on. 

*^My  books  are  of  three  kinds,"  he  said. 
*^Some  are  works  on  pious  subjects,  to  which 
no  objection  can  be  made  by  any  one.    Some 

139 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


are  attacks  on  the  power  of  the  pope  and 
the  many  evils  in  the  Church ;  these  I  cannot 
retract,  without  denying  the  doctrine  of 
Christ.  The  third  kind  are  those  in  which 
I  have  answered  those  who  have  written 
against  me;  in  these  I  may  have  been  too 
severe,  and  have  made  some  mistakes  in  the 
way  of  speaking  too  violently. 

^^But,  if  any  one  can  show  me  anything  in 
any  of  my  writings  which  is  false  and  con- 
trary to  the  Word  of  God,  I  am  ready  to 
throw  my  books  into  the  fire  with  my  own 
hands!'' 

*^ Speak  to  the  point,  Luther!  Will  you, 
or  will  you  not  recant  ? ' '  cried  the  chancellor. 

Then  Martin,  his  deep  eyes  glowing  like 
stars,  flung  back  the  immortal  answer : 

^^  Unless  I  am  convinced,  by  the  Holy 
Scriptures — not  by  the  word  of  popes  and 
councils,  for  they  may  be  in  error — but  by 
the  Word  of  God  himself,  by  which  alone 
my  conscience  is  bound,  I  neither  can  nor 
will  recant  anything!" 

A  tumult  of  voices  arose.  The  chancellor 
140 


"HERE  I  STAND" 


began  to  argue,  the  princes  to  interrupt.  Out 
of  the  niidst  of  the  din  once  more  arose  the 
voice  of  Martin  Luther,  clear  and  firm  as  an 
angel's  trumpet: 

''Here  I  stand.  I  cannot  do  otherwise. 
God  help  me !    Amen ! ' ' 

Then  the  young  emperor  arose,  dismissing 
the  Diet.  The  assembly  poured  out  of  the 
hall,  pushing  and  thronging  so  that  several 
of  the  imperial  guards  had  to  he  sent  to  Mar- 
tin's side,  to  lead  him  safely  through  the 
crowd. 

As  he  passed  out  of  the  doors,  with  a 
guard  on  either  side,  the  nobles  in  the  court 
cried  out, 

''He  is  arrested!  they  are  taking  him  to 
prison!" 

"They  are  taking  me  to  my  hotel,"  called 
out  Martin,  and  the  crowd  was  pacified. 

Across  the  palace  yard  and  into  that  of 
the  hotel  he  was  led,  to  the  inn  where  his 
waiting  friends  had  spent  the  anxious  hours. 

'^I  am  through!  I  am  through!"  cried 
141 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


Martin  exultingly,  with  uplifted  hands,  as 
they  rushed  to  meet  him. 

*^You  have  retracted  nothing,  dear  Dr. 
Martin"?''  cried  his  faithful  friend,  Nicholas 
Amsdorf. 

^^Eetracted?"  exclaimed  Martin,  with  the 
ring  of  victory  in  his  voice.  '^Even  though 
I  had  a  hundred  heads,  I  would  have  had 
them  all  cut  off  before  I  would  have  retracted 
anything!'' 

The  traveling  carriage  in  which  Dr.  Mar- 
tin and  his  companions  sat  was  rolling  slowly 
along  a  forest  road  not  far  from  the  town  of 
Eisenach.  Martin  had  been  spending  the  last 
few  days  in  visiting  the  scenes  of  his  boy- 
hood. He  had  just  left  the  home  of  his  aged 
grandmother  in  the  little  village  of  Mora. 
Of  his  traveling  companions  none  were  left 
but  Nicholas  Amsdorf  and  a  monk  from  Wit- 
tenberg named  Petzenstein. 

^'Well,  Dr.  Martin,  we  shall  soon  be  in 
Wittenberg  again;  and  what  then?"  asked 
the  monk,  as  they  journeyed  along. 

142 


"HERE  I  STAND" 


^'Yes;  what  then?"  laughed  Dr.  Martin, 
in  reply. 

**You  do  not  seem  to  consider,  Brother 
Martin,  that  the  emperor  is  about  to  de- 
clare you  an  outlaw!"  continued  the  monk. 

^'Yes,  brother,  I  know  it  well  enough," 
said  Martin.  *^I  think  I  have  heard  all  the 
points  of  that  decree  on  which  Aleander  and 
the  emperor  are  so  busy.  My  books  are  all 
to  be  burned,  and  no  more  are  to  be  pub- 
lished, sold,  or  read.  I  am  to  be  seized 
wherever  found  and  handed  over  to  the  em- 
peror for  justice.  All  men  are  forbidden  to 
give  me  food  or  shelter  or  to  aid  me  in  any 
way.  I  am  a  condemned  heretic,  a  man  out- 
side of  the  law !  How  happy  the  pope  will 
be!" 

*'You  take  it  very  lightly.  Brother  Mar- 
tin," said  the  monk,  gloomily. 

*^My  cause  is  in  good  hands,"  said  Martin 
cheerily.  *^One  who  is  stronger  than  pope 
or  emperor  has  cared  for  me  and  will  not 
leave  me  now ! ' ' 

The  twilight  came  on  early  under  the  dense 
143 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


leafage  of  the  forest.  Still  the  horses 
plodded  on.  The  monk  was  plainly  nervous, 
and  Amsdorf  now  and  then  cast  uneasy 
glances  on  either  side ;  but  Dr.  Martin's  face 
was  cheerful  and  serene,  and  his  talk  be- 
trayed no  fear. 

Suddenly  a  sound  of  galloping  hoofs  smote 
their  ears.  Before  the  sleepy  driver  of  the 
carriage  could  do  more  than  look  around, 
five  horsemen,  wearing  masks,  barred  the 
way. 

^^ Robbers!"  cried  the  monk,  in  terror, 
leaping  from  the  carriage,  and  making  off 
into  the  woods. 

To  him  the  horsemen  paid  little  attention ; 
nor  yet  to  Amsdorf,  who  was  not  so  greatly 
alarmed. 

With  a  show  of  force,  they  dragged  the 
driver  from  his  seat. 

^^Be  still!"  said  one  of  the  masked  men  to 
him  with  a  threatening  gesture.  '^We  will 
do  you  no  harm.  We  want  nobody  but  Dr. 
Martin  Luther." 

Martin  was  already  standing  up  in  the  car- 
144 


iMig^WEt 


WE    WANT    NOBODV    BUT    DR.    MARTIN    LUTHER " 


"HERE  I  STAND' 


riage.  With  no  resistance  he  allowed  his 
captors  to  throw  about  him  the  long  cloak 
of  a  knight,  and  lead  him  away  into  the  for- 
est, where  a  haltered  horse  awaited  him. 

*^0n  again  to  Wittenberg!''  commanded 
Nicholas  Amsdorf,  when  the  highwaymen 
had  vanished  with  their  prize.  ''We  must 
go  and  tell  them  that  Dr.  Martin  has  been 
seized  and  carried  off.  May  God  keep  him  in 
safety!" 


145 


''knight  George" 


XIII 


Q' 


'* KNIGHT   GEORGE" 


PRING  had  passed  into  summer  and 
k3  smnmer  into  autumn.  Now  the  snows 
of  winter  were  bending  the  great  trees 
around  the  high  castle  of  Wartburg,  crown- 
ing the  lofty  hill  above  the  tovra  of  Eisenach. 

One  December  day,  before  the  early 
shadows  had  begun  to  fall,  a  man  on  horse- 
back might  have  been  seen  ascending  the 
steep  path  to  the  castle.  The  road  was  partly 
broken,  but  in  places  where  the  snow  had 
drifted  he  was  obliged  to  dismount  and  lead 
his  horse  around. 

Mounting  again,  after  one  of  these  ex- 
cursions from  the  way,  he  caught  sight  of  a 
figure  moving  under  the  leafless  trees.  Rid- 
ing forward  a  little  farther,  he  halted  to  look 
more  closely. 

149 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


It  was  a  man  in  the  garb  of  a  knight,  with 
a  sword  belted  to  his  side  and  a  dark  cloak 
hanging  from  his  shoulders.  A  thick,  black 
beard  covered  the  lower  part  of  his  face; 
above  it  sparkled  eyes  at  once  kind  and  keen. 

When  the  eyes  glanced  toward  the  road 
and  perceived  the  rider  sitting  his  horse  like 
a  statue,  the  knight  turned,  scattering  with 
a  hasty  gesture  the  remainder  of  the  crumbs 
with  which  he  had  been  feeding  a  little  flock 
of  snowbirds. 

**Is  it  you,  my  dear  George?"  he  cried. 
''Have  you  come  at  last  to  see  me?" 

''MartiQ,  is  it  really  you?"  queried 
George  Spalatin,  still  looking  dubiously  at 
the  knightly  figure. 

'  ^  No,  no ! "  laughed  the  black-bearded  man. 
''Martin  is  not  known  about  here.  To  all 
but  the  lord  of  the  castle  I  am  Knight 
George,  paying  a  long  visit  to  Wartburg." 

Spalatin  dismounted  and  threw  the  bridle 
over  his  arm.  Together  the  two  friends 
walked  slowly  up  the  winding  path  toward 
the  castle. 

150 


To    AIJ.    HIT    THE    LORD    OF    THE    CASTLE    1    AM     KMi.HT    GEORGE 


"KNIGHT  GEORGE" 


^^  First  you  will  go,  of  course,  to  the  good 
knight  of  the  castle,"  said  Martin.  ^^Then 
come  to  my  room,  for  I  have  many  things 
to  say  to  you  in  private.'' 

Several  hours  later,  they  sat  in  the  Decem- 
ber d,usk  with  no  other  light  than  that  of  a 
wood-fire  crackling  merrily,  in  an  upper 
chamber  of  a  small  building  apart  from  the 
main  body  of  the  castle. 

^^This  is  a  safe  and  quiet  retreat  you  have 
chosen  for  me,  George,"  said  Martin,  ^^or  I 
should  say,  our  gracious  master  the  Elector 
for  I  guessed  all  along  that  he  was  at  the 
bottom  of  the  plan  to  hide  me  away,  though 
you  tell  me  he  would  not  for  a  long  time  al- 
low you  to  tell  him  where  I  was." 

*^  It  is  a  safe  retreat,  while  you  stay  in  it, 
Martin,"  said  Spalatin,  rather  severely. 
'^But  you  show  too  much  anxiety  to  be  out  of 
it ;  and  that  is  why  I  have  come  here  in  the 
middle  of  winter." 

^^Oh!  so  you  know  I  have  been  to  Witten- 
berg!" said  Martin  serenely.  ^*It  was  only 
for  three  days,  George;  I  did  not  even  go 

151 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


near  my  lodgings,  but  spent  the  time  in  the 
house  of  Nicholas  Amsdorf ;  and  you  know 
I  was  well  disguised.  Why,  you  yourself, 
when  you  came  just  now,  hardly  knew  me 
in  this  beard!" 

**It  was  too  great  a  risk,'  said  Spalatin, 
shaking  his  head.  ^^AU  the  country  rang 
with  the  sudden  disappearance  of  Martin 
Luther ;  and  spies  have  been  busy  ever  since 
to  discover  your  whereabouts.  You  will  be 
caught ;  and  then  you  know  what  to  expect." 

^^Dear  friend,"  said  Martin,  gravely, 
'Hhere  are  many  troubles  at  Wittenberg  and 
I  felt  that  I  must  go  and  help  to  quiet  them. 
Perhaps  before  long  I  shall  go  back  to  stay ; 
I  must,  if  I  am  needed." 

'^Then  you  go  at  your  own  risk,"  said 
Spalatin  abruptly. 

^^I  shall  not  ask  the  Elector  to  protect 
me,"  returned  Martin.  ^^I  shall  go  under 
a  far  higher  protection  than  his  1 

^^But  now,  dear  George,  be  not  angry  with 
me.  I  have  surely  been  patient  and  quiet  all 
these  months,  even  when  I  was  ready  to  die 

152 


"KNIGHT  GEORGE" 


of  idleness.  I  have  roamed  the  woods  gath- 
ering wild  strawberries  in  sunamer  and  nuts 
in  autumn;  I  have  even  tried  to  engage  in 
the  pleasures  of  the  chase  with  the  knights 
of  the  castle,  and  have  decided  that  these 
sports  of  the  nobility  are  not  for  a  plain  doc- 
tor like  me!'' 

^^Did  you  not  enjoy  the  hunting?"  in- 
quired Spalatin,  his  face  relaxing  into  a 
smile. 

^^A  bitter-sweet  pleasure!''  said  Dr.  Mar- 
tin. ^^We  caught  two  hares  and  three  poor 
little  partridges — a  fine  occupation  for  men 
of  leisure ! 

*^One  poor  little  hare  came  running  to  me, 
as  if  it  would  ask  me  to  save  it.  I  hid  it  in 
my  sleeve,  and  stood  aside;  but  the  dogs 
smelt  it  out,  and  bit  it  through  my  coat, 
breaking  its  leg.  I  have  had  enough  of  such 
hunting!" 

'^But  you  had  books,"  said  Spalatin. 

'  *  Yes,  and  wrote  them ! ' '  said  Martin.  *  *  I 
have  been  busy  enough  at  that.    The  trouble 

153 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


is  that  you  and  tlie  Elector  want  to  stop  me ; 
my  writings  are  too  bold  for  you." 

*^  There  are  only  a  few  we  want  to  keep 
back,"  said  Spalatin.  *^Here  you  are  writ- 
ing about  the  vows  of  the  monks  being  of 
no  effect ;  and  over  there  at  Wittenberg  your 
monks  are  leaving  the  monastery  and  ex- 
citing the  people  by  trying  to  take  up  other 
occupations.  If  all  the  monks  leave  their 
houses  and  go  out  to  become  tradesmen,  how 
shall  the  poor  weavers  and  bakers  and  mer- 
chants live  any  more^" 

^^I  must  say  what  is  the  truth,  George," 
said  Martin,  ^^no  matter  what  comes  of  it. 
I  was  a  monk  myself,  and  am  set  free  from 
that  bondage  by  the  grace  of  God.  I  know 
now  that  it  is  not  his  will  that  men  should 
leave  the  common  path  of  life  to  serve  him. 
I  have  dedicated  my  book  on  the  vows  of 
monks  to  my  good  old  father,  who  told  me 
from  the  first  that  they  were  wrong. 

^^But  now,  George,  I  have  a  plan  which 
may  suit  you  better.  We  talked  it  over  at 
Wittenberg." 

154 


"KNIGHT  GEORGE" 


**What  is  that?^'  asked  Spalatin. 

^'George,"  said  Dr.  Martin,  drawing  hia 
chair  nearer  to  his  friend,  **I  have  taken 
many  of  the  old  beliefs  away  from  the 
people. 

'^I  have  told  them  that  masses  and  pil- 
grimages, relics  and  indulgences,  prayers  to 
the  saints  and  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  are  all 
of  no  use. 

^*I  have  taught  them  that  the  priests  and 
the  bishops  are  not  to  be  followed  unless 
they  speak  the  truth  of  God.  I  have  broken 
the  chains  in  which  they  were  held  and  freed 
them  from  obedience  to  the  pope. 

*'I  have  told  them,  over  and  over,  that  they 
need  no  man  or  saint  to  stand  between  them 
and  their  Father  in  heaven. 

*'But  how  shall  they  worship  him  whom 
they  do  not  know?  How  shall  they  know 
him,  except  through  his  own  Word  ? 

'^  You  know  that  the  priests  have  tried  to 
keep  the  people  from  reading  God's  Word 
for  themselves.  Even  among  the  learned, 
few  know  the  Bible  as  they  should ;  and  the 

155 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


common  people  cannot  read  it  because  they 
know  no  Latin.  It  is  true  that  some  have 
tried  to  put  the  Word  of  God  into  our  lan- 
guage ;  but  these  translations  are  full  of  er- 
rors, and  they  are  not  in  simple  words  that 
common  folks  can  understand." 

*'You  mean "  said  Spalatin. 

' '  I  mean, ' '  said  Dr.  Martin,  ^ '  that  I  am  be- 
ginning to  put  the  New  Testament  into  such 
German  as  the  mother  uses  in  the  home,  the 
child  in  the  street,  the  common  man  in  the 
market-place.  I  mean  that  I  am  going  to 
put  the  Bible  in  their  own  speech  into  the 
hands  of  the  people  of  Germany!" 

^^ Martin,"  said  Spalatin,  *Hhis  is  a  great 
undertaking !  Will  not  the  poor  and  humble 
be  too  ignorant  to  understand  even  in  such 
language  the  great  truths  of  the  Bible?" 

^^Tou  speak  like  a  priest!"  said  Martin, 
vigorously.  ^ '  God  will  make  his  Word  plain. 
'The  entrance  of  thy  word  giveth  light.' 
That  is  the  promise!" 


156 


THE  STRANGER  AT  THE  BLACK  BEAR 


XIV 

THE  STRANGER  AT   THE  BLACK  BEAR 

TWO  young  men  were  traveling  along  a 
muddy  road  in  a  pelting  thunderstorm. 

'^We  are  almost  at  Jena  now,  Walter," 
said  the  elder  of  the  two.  ''There  we  shall 
find  shelter.'' 

''Yes,  here  is  the  gate!"  said  the  other. 
*'How  glad  I  shall  be  to  get  out  of  the 
storm!" 

Into  the  streets  they  passed,  and  began  to 
inquire  for  lodgings.  From  inn  to  inn  they 
went,  but  nowhere  could  find  entertainment ; 
and  aU  the  time  the  rain  came  pitilessly 
down. 

' '  There  seems  to  be  no  place  for  us,  John, ' ' 
said  Walter  anxiously.  ' '  Shall  we  not  go  out 
again  and  try  to  find  shelter  in  some  vil- 
lage or  farmhouse?" 

159 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


To  the  gate  they  turned  again;  and  just 
beneath  it  they  ran  ahnost  into  a  well- 
dressed  citizen,  standing  under  the  arch  to 
wait  for  a  lull  in  the  tempest. 

^^  Where  are  you  going,  friends,  in  such  a 
storm?''  he  inquired  kindly. 

^^  We  are  going  to  seek  lodging  in  the  coun- 
try, sir,"  replied  John. 

**It  is  very  late,"  said  the  man,  with  fa- 
therly interest.  * '  The  night  will  come  on  be- 
fore you  can  reach  the  nearest  village ;  and 
in  this  driving  rain  you  may  easily  miss  the 
road.  Would  it  not  be  better  to  stay  in  the 
city  to-night?" 

'^Dear  sir,"  said  John,  **we  called  at  all 
the  inns  to  which  we  were  directed,  but 
everywhere  we  were  turned  away,  and  could 
get  no  lodging.  We  must  go  farther,  for 
we  cannot  sleep  out  in  the  rain." 

^^Have  you  tried  the  Black  Bear?"  asked 
the  good  man. 

^' Where  is  that,  sir?    We  did  not  see  it." 

^^Just  outside  the  city,"  was  the  reply. 
160 


THE  STRANGER  AT  THE  BLACK  BEAR 

''Look  this  way;  you  can  see  the  lights  twin- 
kling through  the  mist.'' 

''Thank  you,  thank  you,  kind  sir!"  ex- 
claimed the  young  man.  "Come,  Walter, 
we  will  hasten  on ! " 

At  the  inn  of  the  Black  Bear,  the  drenched 
and  shivering  travelers  were  met  by  the 
landlord  at  the  door. 

"Yes,  I  have  room  for  you,"  he  said  hos- 
pitably. "Come  in,  come  in,  and  dry  your- 
selves at  the  fire." 

In  the  guest-room  of  the  inn  a  man  sat 
reading  at  the  table.  He  looked  up  as  the 
landlord  opened  the  door. 

"Come  in  and  sit  down  with  me,  friends," 
he  said  heartily.  "Ah,  you  have  been 
drenched  in  the  storm!" 

The  two  young  men  entered  bashfully. 

"We  are  not  fit  to  sit  at  the  table  with  you, 
sir, ' '  said  John.  ' '  We  are  covered  with  mud. 
We  will  sit  here  on  a  bench  by  the  door." 

"You  will  do  nothing  of  the  sort,"  he  said, 
closing  his  book.  "You  will  come  to  the 
table,  and  the  landlord  will  bring  something 

161 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


to  warm  your  chilled  bones  and  keep  you 
from  taking  cold.'' 

Modestly  the  travelers  took  their  seats 
near  the  stranger.  He  was  dressed  in  the 
costume  of  a  knight,  a  red  leather  cap,  hose 
and  doublet,  and  a  sword  by  his  side. 

^^How  his  deep  eyes  sparkle!''  whispered 
Walter  to  John.  ^'1  can  hardly  bear  to  look 
into  them!" 

^*  You  are  Swiss,"  began  the  stranger,  not- 
ing the  dress  of  the  young  men.  ^^From 
what  part  of  Switzerland  do  you  come*?" 
''From  St.  Gall,"  replied  the  elder.  ''I  am 
John  Kessler,*  and  this  is  my  friend,  Wal- 
ter Brun.    We  are  going  to  Wittenberg." 

''Ah!"  said, he;  "at  Wittenberg  you  will 
find  some  good  countrymen  of  yours.  Dr. 
Jerome  Schurf  and  his  brother  Augustine." 

"Can  you  tell  us,  sir,"  asked  Walter 
eagerly,  "whether  Martin  Luther  is  now  at 
Wittenberg?" 

"I  have  good  reason  to  believe,"  said  the 
man,  "that  Luther  is  not  now  at  Wittenberg 

*  A  real  name.    That  of  his  friend  is  invented. 

162 


THE  STRANGER  AT  THE  BLACK  BEAR 

but  will  soon  be  there.  But  Dr.  Philip  Me- 
lanchthon  is  there;  he  teaches  Greek,  and 
there  are  others  who  teach  Hebrew.  I  would 
advise  you  to  study  both  of  these  languages, 
for  they  will  help  you  greatly  in  understand- 
ing the  Holy  Scriptures.'' 

*' Thank  God!"  said  Kessler  fervently. 
*'We  are  both  resolved,  if  our  lives  are 
spared,  to  see  and  hear  Dr.  Luther.  In- 
deed, it  is  on  his  account  that  we  are  taking 
this  journey." 

*^How  is  that?"  asked  their  companion. 

**Both  of  us,"  said  John  Kessler,  *^have 
been  brought  up  from  boyhood  by  our 
parents  to  be  priests.  Now  we  understand 
that  Luther  wants  to  overturn  the  priest- 
hood, and  we  want  to  hear  what  he  has  to 
say  about  it." 

^  ^  Oh ! "  said  he.  ^  ^  And  what  do  they  think 
of  Luther  in  Switzerland?" 

'^Some  thank  God,"  said  John,  **that 
through  him  God's  truth  has  been  revealed; 
others,  especially  the  priests,  call  him  a  ter- 
rible heretic." 

163 


IMARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


^^Ah,  yes,  the  priests,  of  course!"  said  the 
man,  with  a  smile. 

Meantime,  Walter  had  picked  up  the  book 
which  the  stranger  had  laid  on  the  table  and 
showed  it  silently  to  his  friend.  It  was  a 
copy  of  the  Psalms  in  Hebrew!  More  and 
more  the  young  men  wondered  who  this  man 
could  be. 

Just  then  the  landlord  came  to  the  door 
and  beckoned  to  Kessler  to  come  out. 

'*I  perceive,"  he  said,  ^Hhat  you  would 
like  to  see  and  hear  Luther.  Well,  it  is  he 
who  is  sitting  and  talking  with  you ! ' ' 

'^Oh,  come,  Mr.  Landlord, "  said  John,  tak- 
ing it  as  a  joke,  *^you  are  making  sport  of 
me." 

^^No,  it  is  really  he,"  said  the  innkeeper, 
**but  do  not  act  as  if  you  knew  him." 

John  hastened  back  into  the  room  and 
made  an  excuse  to  draw  Walter  to  one  side 
and  tell  him  what  the  landlord  had  said. 

''Oh,  no,  John!"  said  Walter.  ''Surely 
YOU  are  mistaken!  Did  not  the  landlord 
say  'Hutten"?    The  names  sound  somewhat 

164 


THE  STRANGER  AT  THE  BLACK  BEAR 

alike.  Perhaps  it  is  the  brave  and  learned 
knight,  Ulricli  von  Hutten." 

**Well,  perhaps  he  did,"  said  John  uncer- 
tainly. ''It  eould  liardl}^  be  Dr.  Luther  in 
such  a  garb!'' 

Presently  two  merchants  came  in  to  spend 
the  night.  One  of  them  laid  on  the  table  an 
unbound  book. 

^^What  book  is  thaf?"  asked  the  stranger. 

^*It  is  Dr.  Luther's  explanation  of  some 
of  the  Gospels  and  Ex)istles,  which  has  just 
been  i)rinted,"  said  the  merchant.  *^Have 
you  seen  it?" 

*^I  shall  soon,"  was  the  knight's  reply, 
which  made  the  students  look  at  each  other 
again. 

Now  the  landlord  called  them  all  to  sup- 
per. Again  the  students  x^rotested  that  they 
were  not  fit  to  sit  with  the  others,  and  asked 
to  have  something  at  a  table  apart. 

*^Come  on!  come  on!"  said  the  knight. 
*^  Sit  down  here  with  us !  I  am  going  to  pay 
for  your  supper. ' ' 

All  through  the  meal,  students  and  mer- 
165 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


chants  could  scarcely  eat  for  listening  to  the 
stranger's  delightful  conversation. 

After  supper,  when  the  merchants  went 
out  to  see  to  their  horses,  John  said  to  the 
knight, 

**You  have  done  us  great  honor  and 
great  kindness,  noble  sir.  We  never  ex- 
pected to  sit  at  a  table  with  the  famous 
Hutten." 

The  stranger  laughed  merrily.  Just  then 
the  landlord  came  in,  and  the  knight  said  to 
him, 

*^I  have  become  a  nobleman  to-night,  for 
these  Swiss  imagine  that  I  am  tJlrich  von 
Hutten!" 

*^You  are  not  he,  but  Martin  Luther!" 
said  the  landlord,  seeing  his  good  humor. 

**They  take  me  for  Hutten,  you  for  Lu- 
ther!" laughed  the  stranger.  **Whom  shall 
I  be  next?" 

He  rose,  threw  his  cloak  over  his  shoul- 
der, and  said  to  the  puzzled  students, 

**  When  you  reach  Wittenberg,  give  my  re- 
gards to  Dr.  Jerome  Schurf." 

166 


THE  STRANGER  AT  THE  BLACK  BEAR 

** Willingly/'  said  Kessler,  *4f  we  knew 
what  name  to  give  him!'' 

**Say  only,"  said  the  stranger,  '*  *He  who 
is  to  come  sends  greetings.'  " 

The  students  went  their  way  next  morn- 
ing toward  Wittenberg.  The  next  Satur- 
day, they  called  on  Dr.  Schurf  to  present 
their  letters  of  introduction. 

There  sat  the  stranger,  looking  just  as 
they  had  seen  him  in  the  guest-room  of  the 
Black  Bear! 

**You  are  really  Martin  Luther!"  ex- 
claimed John  Kessler,  in  delight. 

A  great  laugh  arose  from  all  the  friends 
assembled  in  the  room — Dr.  Philip,  Justus 
Jonas,  Amsdorf ,  and  others. 

Martin  himself  laughed  most  heartily  of 
all;  and  pointing  to  Melanchthon,  said, 
*^This  is  Dr.  Philip,  of  whom  I  told  you. 
Welcome  to  Wittenberg,  dear  fellow  travel- 
ers." 

Dr.  Martin  had  come  back  to  stay.  The 
Wartburg  could  hold  him  no  longer;  there 
was  too  much  to  do  at  Wittenberg! 

167 


**LORD  KATIE" 


x^^ 


''lord  katie" 


"TS  Mistress  Cranach  at  home?"  asked  a 
X  morning  visitor,  standing  at  the  door  of 
Master  Lucas  Cranach,  the  noted  artist  of 
.Wittenberg. 

**Tes,  Mistress  Katie!"  said  the  little 
maid.  *^Will  you  please  come  in?"  and, 
leading  the  guest  through  the  long  corridor, 
she  announced  the  arrival  by  opening  a  door, 
and  saying,  *^Here  is  Mistress  Katherine  Lu- 
ther!" 

The  wife  of  Lucas  Cranach  rose,  with  both 
hands  extended,  to  greet  with  pleasure  a 
familiar  and  welcome  guest. 

*  *  How  are  you,  dear  Katie  ? ' '  she  said.  '  *  I 
did  not  expect  to  see  you  so  early ;  but  then, 
you  are  always  up  with  the  birds !  No  won- 
der Dr.  Martin  calls  you  'The  Morning  Star 

171 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


of  Wittenberg, '  because  jou  always  rise  be- 
fore the  sun." 

*^It  was  market  morning,  you  know,"  said 
Mistress  Katie,  removing  ber  cloak.  ^^I 
wished  to  go  early,  so  that  I  could  get  here 
before  Dr.  Martin  had  finished  the  sitting 
he  was  to  give  Master  Lucas  for  his  portrait. 
I  haye  sent  the  little  maid  home  with  the  bas- 
ket, and  now  I  will  talk  with  you  and  wait 
for  him." 

As  she  spoke  she  picked  up  a  piece  of  the 
mending  with  which  Mistress  Cranach  was 
busy,  and  without  ceremony  began  to  work 
on  it. 

Mistress  Katie  was  dressed  in  the  usual 
morning  costume  of  a  German  housewife — 
white  cap  and  kerchief  over  a  dark  woolen 
dress  with  close-fitting  sleeyes  and  full  skirt. 

Her  auburn  hair  was  parted  smoothly  and 
almost  hidden  under  the  ample  folds  of  the 
cap.  Her  dark-blue  eyes  were  quick  and 
glancing;  her  rather  plain  face  was  both 
shrewd  and  kindly.  She  was  almost  thirty 
years  of  age. 

172 


HERE    IS    MISTRESS    KATHERIXE    LUTHER 


"LORD  KATIE" 


*^How  much  better  Dr.  Martin  is  looking, 
Katie/'  remarked  her  friend,  as  their  busy 
fingers  made  the  needles  fly.  **He  is  not  the 
same  man  since  his  marriage.  Truly,  you 
take  good  care  of  him!" 

^'And  no  light  task  it  is,"  laughed  Dr. 
Martin's  wife.  **If  you  could  see  how  hard 
it  is  to  get  him  to  dinner  when  he  is  busy 
with  his  writing !  That  is  partly  the  reason 
I  came  to  wait  for  him  to-day ;  I  have  fresh 
greens  for  dinner,  and  if  he  and  Master  Lu- 
cas get  to  talking,  or  if  he  comes  home,  slips 
into  his  study,  and  locks  the  door,  the  greens 
may  stand  till  they  are  spoiled,  though  he 
really  is  very  fond  of  them !" 

*^His  whole  heart  is  in  his  work,"  said 
Mistress  Cranach,  smiling.  ^'1  can  imagine 
that  he  often  forgets  his  meals." 

*^ Before  we  were  married,"  said  Katie, 
**he  says  he  had  no  regular  meal-times,  but 
went  and  got  something  to  eat  when  he  hap- 
pened to  think  of  it,  unless  he  was  invited 
out  to  dine.  No  wonder  he  was  hardly  ever 
well !    Even  yet  he  has  severe  spells  of  illness 

173 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


at  times.  He  has  never  taken  care  of  him- 
self, or  thought  of  his  own  health,  in  all  his 
life.'' 

^^Then  it  is  high  time  some  one  did  it  for 
him,"  said  her  friend.  ^*But  I  can  guess 
that  it  is  not  easy  to  train  him  into  regular 
habits." 

**You  should  have  seen  the  house  when  I 
came  into  it!"  said  Katie.  *^He  hardly 
ever  made  his  bed  properly,  but  left  it  open 
so  that  it  would  be  easier  to  get  into.  His 
papers  and  books  were  littered  about  every- 
where, and  he  makes  a  terrible  outcry  even 
now  if  they  are  disturbed.  His  little  dog 
used  to  make  a  bed  in  his  papers,  and  often 
chewed  them  up,  as  well  as  his  boots  and 
leather  belts ! 

*'I  keep  the  dog  outside,  clean  up  as  much 
as  I  dare,  and  shut  my  eyes  to  the  heaps  of 
papers!  But  he  knows  he  is  much  more 
comfortable,  though  he  doesn't  like  to  be  dis- 
turbed by  sweeping  and  dusting." 

^^He  has  no  care  for  little  things,"  said 
Mistress  Cranach. 

174 


"LORD  KATIE'» 


**No,  nor  greater  things,  sometimes,"  said 
Mistress  Katie.  **He  would  give  away  every- 
thing we  have  in  the  house  if  I  did  not  watch 
him  I  Let  any  poor  student  come  with  a  tale 
of  wo,  and  Dr.  Martin  gives  him  the  last 
penny  in  his  purse!  He  gives  away  his 
clothing,  the  food  from  the  table,  and  the 
gold  and  silver  dishes  that  our  friends  gave 
us  when  we  were  married. 

**The  other  day,  one  of  his  friends  invited 
him  to  his  marriage.  Dr.  Martin  could  not 
go,  but  he  wrote  him  a  letter,  saying, 

'*  *I  am  sending  you  as  a  gift  a  large  sil- 
ver vase  which  was  given  to  us  and  which 
I  hope  you  will  accept  in  token  of  our  love 
and  good  wishes.' 

''The  letter  lay  open  on  the  table,  and  he 
was  called  away  before  it  was  finished.  I 
suspected  he  had  some  such  plan,  for  I  saw 
him  casting  looks  at  the  vase  while  he  wrote. 
So  I  put  it  away. 

''When  he  came  back,  the  vase  was  gone! 
He  looked  at  me,  and  laughed ;  then  he  put  a 
postscript  to  his  letter. 

175 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


*'  ^I  am  sorry  I  cannot  send  you  the  vase, 
after  all ;  because  my  Lord  Katie,  who  rules 
me  and  my  household,  has  hidden  it  away ! '  " 

^^That  is  right,  Katie,"  said  her  friend, 
approvingly.  ' '  He  would  beggar  himself  and 
you  if  you  did  not  look  after  such  things. 
He  is  the  greatest  man  in  Germany,  but  he 
is  like  a  child  when  it  comes  to  matters  of 
money.  We  knew  that  long  ago.  He  never 
thinks  of  himself." 

*^He  is  the  best  and  greatest  man  in  the 
world,"  declared  his  wife,  the  quick  tears 
starting  to  her  keen  eyes.  '^Were  it  not  for 
him  and  the  books  he  wrote  I  should  still  be 
a  lonely  nun  in  the  convent  at  Nimbschen." 

*^You  were  not  meant  for  a  nun,  dear 
Katie,"  said  Mistress  Cranach.  **Some 
women  might  have  been  happy  in  such  a  life, 
though  since  we  have  known  Dr.  Martin  we 
believe  that  it  is  not  the  right  way  to  please 
God,  but  you  have  the  talents  of  a  house- 
wife and  a  man  of  business  as  well ! ' ' 

**I  never  could  spend  my  time  in  a  little 
cell  even  at  the  convent,"  said  Katie.    *'I 

176 


"LORD  KATIE' 


used  to  beg  the  abbess  to  let  me  go  out  and 
help  to  manage  things  on  the  estate  of  the 
convent — to  oversee  the  farming,  the  buying 
and  selling  of  cattle,  the  weaving  and  bleach- 
ing of  linen,  and  all  the  rest ;  and  she  found 
I  was  much  better  indoors  when  I  had  been 
busy  outside  for  a  while. 

**I  would  never  have  chosen  to  be  a  nun; 
but  my  mother  died  when  I  was  a  little  girl, 
and  my  father  sent  me  to  be  brought  up  in 
the  convent.  When  Dr.  Luther's  books 
came  out,  we  managed  to  get  some  and  read 
them.  When  I  read  the  one  on  the  vows  of 
monks  and  nuns,  I  felt  as  if  some  one  had 
opened  the  door  of  a  prison,  and  called  me 
out  into  the  bright  sunshine !  You  know  the 
rest,  dear  friend — ^liow  twelve  of  us  escaped, 
and  nine  came  to  Wittenberg ;  how  the  good 
people  here  received  and  sheltered  us ;  how 
good  Mistress  Eeichenbach  gave  me  a  home, 
until  Dr.  Martin  asked  me  to  be  his  wife. 
I  owe  everything  to  him." 

^^What  is  this?"  interrupted  a  merry 
177 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


voice.  ^^Lord  Katie  here,  and  talking  about 
me,  as  usual.  What  sermons  these  women 
preach!    Their  tongues  are  never  still!'' 

And  Dr.  Martin  entered,  with  his  hand- 
some and  stately  friend,  the  artist  Cranach. 

''Never  was  such  a  manager  as  my  Lord 
Katie,''  continued  Dr.  Martin  jestingly. 
''She  has  made  me  dig  a  garden,  and  plant 
lilies  and  roses  as  well  as  things  to  eat.  Now 
we  are  making  a  fish-pond,  and  soon  we 
shall  have  fish  for  our  table. 

"She  takes  students  to  board,  and  lays 
money  aside.  Presently  we  are  going  to 
buy  a  little  farm  which  she  can  manage  to 
her  heart's  content. 

"She  is  like  the  virtuous  woman  in  the 
Proverbs ;  she  rises  while  it  is  yet  dark,  she 
plants  a  vineyard,  she  works  willingly  with 
her  hands,  and  eats  not  the  bread  of  idle- 
ness! 

"It  is  true,  she  interrupts  me  sometimes 
by  asking  questions,  or  calling  me  to  dinner 
when  I  am  busy  writing;  but,"  he  added, 
dropping  his  bantering  tone,  "she  is  a  true 

178 


"LORD  KATIE" 


helpmate  to  me,  and  I  thank  God  for  her." 
And  while  the  happy  tears  dimmed  Katie's 

blue  eyes,  Master  Lucas,  stroking  his  long 

beard,  replied, 

**You  have  proved  the  truth,  dear  Dr. 

Martin,  of  the  Scripture  which  says,  *  Whoso 

findeth  a  wife  findeth  a  good  thing,  and  ob- 

taineth  favor  from  the  Lord.'  " 


179 


WIDENING   CIRCLES 


XVI 

WIDENING  CIKCLES 

THE  living-room  in  the  old  monastery, 
abandoned  now  by  all  the  monks  and 
for  many  happy  years  the  home  of  Dr.  Mar- 
tin Luther  and  his  family,  was  all  aglow, 
and  ringing  with  sounds  which  would  have 
astonished  the  prior  and  the  brothers  who 
once  dwelt  there. 

In  the  midst  of  the  room  stood  an  ever- 
green tree,  bedecked  with  toys  and  candles. 
Hans  Luther,  aged  nine,  was  buried  in  the 
pages  of  a  new  book.  Martin,  junior,  a  rosy 
boy  of  five,  jumping  up  and  down  in  glee 
under  the  spicy  branches,  was  blowing  with 
all  his  might  on  a  toy  trumpet. 

Quiet,  dainty  Magdalene,  his  six-year-old 
sister,  was  sitting  on  the  floor,  rocking  a  new 
doll  in  a  tiny  cradle,  and  trying  to  sing  it 

183 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


a  cradle-song,  sadly  interrupted  by  the 
blasts  of  the  trumpet. 

Paul,  aged  two,  sat  in  a  corner,  examin- 
ing the  construction  of  a  wooden  horse ;  and 
Baby  Margaret,  in  her  mother's  arms, 
crowed  in  delight,  and  stretched  her  little 
arms  to  catch  the  glittering  balls  that 
adorned  the  Christmas  tree;  while  ^^ Auntie 
Lena,"  or  Magdalene  von  Bora,  Katherine 
Luther's  aunt,  held  up  a  gaily  colored  rat- 
tle, shaking  it  to  attract  the  baby's  atten- 
tion. 

Into  the  midst  of  this  happy  group  walked 
three  men  in  doctors '  gowns,  smiling  as  they 
saw  the  pretty  picture  under  the  green 
boughs. 

' '  Father !  Father  has  come  back ! ' '  shouted 
Martin,  flinging  himself  bodily  on  the  first 
of  the  newcomers. 

^^  Yes,  the  sick  girl  I  went  to  see  is  better," 
said  Dr.  Martin,  with  a  nod  to  Katie.  ^^  And 
look  whom  I  have  brought  with  me!  Dr. 
Jonas,  and— 


**Dr.  Philip!"  cried  the  boy,  running  up 
184 


WIDENING  CIRCLES 


to  the  frail,  gentle  man  in  the  fur-lined 
robe,  whom  all  the  children  loved  as  one  of 
the  family.  ' '  See  my  horn !  You  may  blow 
it,  if  you  want  to!" 

Little  Magdalene  came  shyly  to  lay  her 
doll  in  Dr.  Philip's  hand.  He  sat  down  and 
lifted  the  little  girl  to  his  knee,  where  she 
nestled  until  her  father  sat  down,  with  the 
bab}^  laughing  and  jumping  in  his  arms. 
Then  she  slid  quietly  off,  and  went  over  to 
her  father,  leaning  against  his  knee  without 
a  word,  till  he  noticed  her  presence,  and 
put  his  arm  around  her. 

^^It  is  growing  late,"  said  Mistress  Katie, 
^^but  the  children  would  not  hear  of  going  to 
bed  till  you  had  come  home,  so  that  we  could 
sing  our  Christmas  carols  together." 

'^Well,  well,"  said  Dr.  Martin,  'Hake  the 
baby,  then,  Katie,  till  I  get  my  lute,  and  we 
will  end  the  day  as  it  should  be  ended." 

Book,  trumpet,  and  toy  horse  were  laid 
aside;  the  doll  was  tucked  tenderly  in 
its  cradle,  and  the  little  group,  gathering 
around  Dr.  Martin,  sang  carol  after  carol, 

185 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


even  the  children  chirping  the  melodies,  if 
sometimes  uncertain  about  the  words. 

''Sing  our  songs,  father!"  begged  Hans, 
in  a  pause ;  and,  smiling,  the  father  led  them 
in  one  of  the  simple  Christmas  hymns  he  had 
composed  for  them : 

**Away  in  a  manger,  no  crib  for  his  bed, 
The  little  Lord  Jesus  laid  down  his  sweet  head ; 
The  stars  in  the  bright  sky  looked  down  where  he  lay, 
The  little  Lord  Jesus,  asleep  in  the  hay." 

''Sing  about  the  cradle,  father,  dear!" 
whispered  Magdalene,  rocking  her  doll  gent- 
ly; and  so  they  sang  another  of  Dr.  Mar- 
tin's sweet  songs: 

**Yet  were  the  world  ten  times  as  wide, 
With  gold  and  jewels  beautified. 
It  would  be  far  too  small  to  be 
A  narrow  cradle.  Lord,  for  thee 

*'Ah,  dearest  Jesus,  holy  ChUd, 
Make  thee  a  bed,  soft,  undefiled, 
Within  my  heart,  that  it  may  be 
A  quiet  chamber  kept  for  thee ! ' ' 
186 


WroENING  CIRCLES 


At  the  last  note,  laying  the  lute  aside,  the 
father  knelt  by  his  chair.  Hans  promptly 
dropped  beside  him;  Magdalene  slipped  to 
her  knees  by  the  tiny  cradle,  and  folded  the 
doirs  hands  before  she  clasped  her  own.  All 
the  rest  knelt  also,  except  the  mother,  on 
whose  lap  Baby  Margaret  had  fallen  asleep, 
and  who  sat  with  head  bowed  over  her  little 
one. 

With  words  as  simple  and  tender  as  the 
songs  they  had  just  been  singing,  the  father 
commended  them  all  for  the  night  to  the  care 
of  God,  who  had  sent  his  dear  Son  to  be  the 
world's  Christmas  gift. 

^^Now,  Katie,  take  these  sleepy  little  folks 
to  bed!"  commanded  Dr.  Martin,  as  they 
rose  from  their  knees.  ^*  Philip,  Jonas,  and 
I  will  sit  here  and  talk  a  little  while.  Good 
night,  my  Hans ;  good  night,  dear  little  Mag- 
dalene; good  night,  Martin  and  Paul!" 

And  the  drowsy  procession  trooped  away 
to  happy  dreams. 

' '  What  a  delightful  evening ! ' '  said  Philip, 
his  thin  face  beaming  with  pleasure,  as  he 

187 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


waved  a  last  good  night  to  little  Magdalene. 

^'You  would  not  think  you  were  in  the 
house  of  a  condemned  heretic  and  outlaw, 
would  you,  dear  Philip'?"  said  Dr.  Martin, 
with  a  short  laugh.  *^  Often  I  wonder  how 
it  is  that  a  man  with  a  price  on  his  head 
should  dare  to  be  merry  and  live  in  such 
security;  and  I  can  only  say  that  it  is  the 
Lord's  doing." 

*^And  that  of  the  princes  who  took  our 
side,"  said  blunt  Justus  Jonas.  *'So  many 
came  over  to  us,  even  at  Worms,  that  the  em- 
peror's  ban  was  dead  before  it  was  issued!" 

^* Truly,"  said  Philip,  ''the  princes  have 
been  loyal!  I  shall  never  forget,  at  Augs- 
burg, when  we  were  about  to  present  the 
Confession  of  our  faith  to  the  Diet  there, 
how  I  urged  that  it  should  be  signed  only 
by  us  doctors  and  preachers,  who  were  al- 
ready so  deep  in  the  matter  that  it  could  not 
hurt  us  to  be  still  deeper. 

*^Then  our  noble  Elector,  John  the  Con- 
stant— ^who  came  out  far  more  openly  on  our 

188 


< 


I 

':     ,S        ■            SS 

V 

,i 

m 

1 

m 

B 

1 

m 
•^1  - 

-*M 


If 


WIDENING  CIRCLES 


side  than  even  the  Elector  Frederick  did — 
said, 

"  ^Not  so,  Philip!  I,  too,  will  confess  my 
Christ!' 

^'Then  the  seven  princes  signed  the  Con- 
fession of  Augsburg,  and  showed  to  all  the 
world  what  the  faith  is  in  which  we  stand." 

^^I  never  felt  the  weight  of  the  emperor's 
ban  so  heavily  as  at  that  time!"  said  Dr. 
Martin.  ^^How  I  longed  to  be  with  you  at 
Augsburg !  Yet  I  dared  not  go  into  the  em- 
peror's presence,  but  could  go  only  as  far 
as  Coburg,  and  sit  there  and  wait  for  news 
from  the  Diet!" 

^'It  was  indeed  a  great  occasion  for  us," 
said  Philip,  '*but,  though  you  were  not  there, 
you  were  still  the  center  and  the  soul  of  it 
all!  For  who  but  you  has  been  our  leader, 
from  the  day  you  nailed  that  paper  of  yours 
on  the  door  of  the  Castle  Church  ? 

^^  Sometimes  I  imagine, "  continued  Philip, 
thoughtfully,  ^Hhat  I  see  this  great  move- 
ment, the  Reformation,  as  men  call  it, 
spreading  out  like  circles  on  still  water, 

189 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


widening  and  widening  till  they  reach  the 
farthest  shores  of  earth. 

^^  Already  it  has  spread  to  France,  Eng- 
land, Switzerland,  and  the  northern  lands. 
Ever  the  circles  widen;  everywhere  men 
called  of  God  are  taking  up  the  work,  pro- 
claiming liberty  of  conscience,  and  the  free 
Word  of  God. 

*^But  the  source  and  center  of  it  is  here 
at  Wittenberg;  just  like  the  stone  thrown 
into  the  water,  from  whence  the  ripples 
spread.  And  the  stone — the  first  word  of 
protest — ^was  thrown  by  Martin  Luther!" 

^^  People  begin  to  call  us  *  Protestants' 
now,"  remarked  Jonas. 

^^Yes,"  said  Philip,  ^^  but  we  do  not  merely 
denounce  evils.  A  ^protest'  means  a  wit- 
nessing for  something.  We  witness  for  the 
truth  of  God." 

^^And  for  the  Word  of  God  in  the  hands 
and  in  the  lives  of  all  men, "  said  Dr.  Martin, 
quickly.  '^Sometimes  I  think,  Philip,  that 
the  greatest  work  you  and  I  have  ever  done, 
and  that  for  which  the  world  will  thank  us 

190 


< 

<      3 


WIDENING  CIRCLES 


most,  is  giving  our  people  the  Bible  in  their 
own  language." 

'^The  new  German  Bible,  which  has  just 
appeared  entire,"  said  Jonas,  ^4s  a  wonder- 
ful work,  dear  friend.  How  quickly  it  is  be- 
ing followed  by  others,  in  all  the  countries 
to  which  the  Reformation  has  spread,  put 
into  the  daily  speech  of  the  people !  This  is 
a  great  gift  to  the  world." 

*^Amen!"  said  Dr.  Martin.  ^^I  hope  that 
soon  the  workman  at  his  bench  and  the 
housewife  in  her  kitchen  shall  know  more  of 
God's  Word  than  monks  and  priests  did  in 
days  gone  by." 

^^By  the  way,"  said  Philip,  laughing,  with 
a  glance  at  Katherine,  who  had  returned  to 
the  room  some  moments  before,  ^'how  does 
your  ^gracious  lady  doctoress,'  as  you  call 
Mistress  Katie,  get  on  with  her  task'?" 

<<Very  well,  indeed,"  laughed  Dr.  Martin, 
in  reply.  ' '  She  will  surely  earn  the  fifty  sil- 
ver florins  I  promised  her,  if  she  would  read 
the  new  Bible  through  before  Easter. 

^^My  Katie  is  a  learned  woman,  you  must 
191 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


know;  only  she  is  so  busy  with  her  farm, 
her  house,  and  her  children,  and  with  the 
care  of  her  troublesome  husband,  that  she 
seldom  takes  time  to  read  anything.  But 
this  she  must  read,  whether  she  will  or  no !" 

Katie  laughed  with  them,  as  the  men  arose 
and  prepared  to  go. 

*^A  happy  Christmas  to  you  all!"  said 
Jonas. 

^^And  blessings  on  your  roof,  and  all  be- 
neath it!"  added  Philip  earnestly. 

*^In  the  name  of  the  Christ-child!"  fin- 
ished Dr.  Martin,  as  he  lighted  them  to  the 
door. 


192 


IN   DK.    martin's   garden 


XVII 

IN  DK.   MAETIN'S   GAEDEN 

ON  a  bright  summer  evening  Dr.  ISTiclio- 
las  Amsdorf  was  strolling  leisurely 
along  toward  the  old  monastery  where  his 
friend,  Dr.  Luther,  made  his  home. 

As  he  reached  the  gate  leading  into  the 
garden  lie  heard  a  sound  unusual  in  that 
happy  place;  it  was  the  sound  of  a  child ^s 
voice  crying  bitterly. 

He  pushed  open  the  gate  and  went  inside. 

On  the  grass  sat  little  Magdalene ;  and  in 
her  hand  lay  a  dead  sparrow.  Over  her 
stood  Hans,  with  boyish  dislike  of  tears,  tr}^- 
ing  to  check  her  weeping. 

^^Come,  sister,"  Nicholas  heard  him  say, 
*^ don't  cry  any  more;  it  w^on't  make  the  lit- 
tle bird  come  back  to  life!  Let's  make  a 
nice  little  grave  and  bury  it!" 

195 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


But  Magdalene  only  sobbed  harder. 

*' Listen,  Lena,  here  is  Dr.  Nicholas;  you 
don't  want  him  to  see  you  cry  like  this.  Be 
a  good  girl,  now!" 

No  use !  the  tears  ran  all  the  faster. 

Then  the  voice  the  little  girl  loved  best  of 
all  spoke  to  her  gently,  as  Dr.  Martin  came 
down  the  walk. 

*^Dear  Lena,"  said  her  father,  taking  the 
child  in  his  arms,  '4t  was  God's  little  bird, 
you  know ;  and  God  has  taken  it  back  again. ' ' 

''Will  it  fly  around  and  sing  again,  up  in 
heaven?"  asked  Lena,  through  her  tears. 

''Who  knows?"  said  her  father,  soothing- 
ly. "There  are  all  sorts  of  beautiful  things 
in  heaven,  and  there  must  surely  be  little 
birds." 

"And  dogs,  father!"  put  in  Hans,  around 
whose  feet  a  pet  puppy  was  tumbling.  ' '  Will 
there  be  little  dogs  like  Clownie  in  heaven?" 

"Why  not?"  said  Dr.  Martin,  leaning 
down  to  pat  the  bright-eyed  little  animal. 
"In  the  new  heavens  and  earth,  why  should 
there  not  be  little  dogs,  with  skin  like  silk 

196 


IN  DR.  MARTIN'S  GARDEN 


and  hair  of  gold,  running  about  and  play- 
ing?" 

Magdalene  was  comforted  now,  and  her 
sobbing  grew  quieter. 

*^ Pardon,  dear  Nicholas,"  said  Dr.  Mar- 
tin. ^^Now  we  can  taUv !  Come  and  sit  here 
on  the  bench  with  us,  and  enjoy  this  beau- 
tiful evening." 

^^ Father,"  said  Hans,  earnestly.  '^Wolf 
did  not  trap  this  bird ;  we  found  it  lying  on 
the  grass.  Wolf  has  not  tried  to  catch  any 
birds  since  you  read  him  your  letter  from 
them!" 

^'What  is  this?"  asked  Amsdorf,  entering 
into  the  spirit  of  the  occasion.  ^^Have  the 
birds  been  writing  letters  to  Dr.  Martin?" 

*^01d  Wolf  Sieberger,  our  man-of-all- 
work  about  the  place,"  said  Dr.  Martin, 
smiling,  ^'had  set  snares  for  the  birds  in 
the  garden  here.  So  I  wrote  a  letter  of  pro- 
test, and  read  it  to  him,  as  if  it  had  been  sent 
me  by  the  birds  themselves." 

^'You  should  have  seen  Wolf's  face!"  put 
in  Hans.     ^^He  didn't  know  what  to  say, 

197 


MARTIN  OF  IVIANSFELD 


but  lie  went  out  and  put  away  all  tlie  traps. 
Father,  let  me  get  the  letter  for  Dr.  Nicho- 
las to  read!" 

Hans  was  back  in  a  twinkling,  bearing  a 
sheet  of  paper. 

^^  Just  listen.  Dr.  Nicholas!"  he  cried,  and 
began  to  read. 

^^To  the  gracious  master,  Martin  Luther, 
preacher  at  Wittenberg: 

*^We,  thrushes,  blackbirds,  linnets,  gold- 
finches, together  with  other  good  and  honor- 
able birds  who  are  to  journey  this  autumn 
over  Wittenberg,  beg  to  advise  you  that  we 
have  information  that  Wolf  Sieberger,  your 
servant,  has  paid  a  high  price  for  some  old, 
worn-out  nets,  that  he  may  rig  up  a  snare 
to  take  from  us  the  liberty  given  us  by 
God  to  fly  in  the  air  and  gather  grains  of 
com  on  the  ground. 

''Since  this  is  very  hard  for  us  poor  birds 
who  have  no  bams  nor  houses,  we  hiunbly 
beg  you  to  ask  him  to  give  up  his  plans  un- 

198 


IN  DR.  MARTIN'S  GARDEN 


til  we  have  made  our  journey  over  Witten- 
berg. 

^^If  he  will  not  do  this,  we  hope  that  he 
may  be  repaid  by  finding  in  his  trap  when 
morning  comes,  frogs,  locusts,  and  snails  in- 
stead of  us!'' 

^^That  reminds  me,''  said  Nicholas,  ^^of 
the  letter  I  heard  about,  which  your  father 
wrote  from  Coburg  to  some  of  the  young 
men  who  lived  at  that  time  here  in  the  house. 
Have  you  seen  that,  Hans,  my  boy?" 

*^Yes,"  said  Hans  eagerly,  ^^my  mother 
keeps  a  copy  of  it,  with  the  letter  he  wrote 
to  me  from  Coburg.  Shall  I  get  them  for 
you?" 

^^Hans,  you  will  tire  Dr.  Nicholas  with 
your  chatter,"  said  his  father,  looking  up 
from  the  little  grave  he  was  digging  for  the 
dead  sparrow.  But  Hans  had  already  dis- 
appeared. 

^'Let  the  boy  go,  Martin,"  laughed  Nicho- 
las. ^^He  enjoys  it,  and  so  do  I.  I  am  never 
happier  than  here  among  your  children." 

199 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


^^Here  it  is,"  said  Hans,  coming  back, 
breathless. 

^^  There  is  a  grove  just  under  our  win- 
dow, like  a  small  forest.  There  the  jack- 
daws and  crows  are  holding  a  diet.  They 
fly  in  and  out,  and  keep  up  a  racket  day  and 
night  without  ceasing. 

*'I  have  not  yet  seen  their  emperor,  but 
their  nobles  and  knights  constantly  flit  and 
gad  about,  not  clothed  expensively,  but  all 
in  one  color,  all  alike  black  and  all  alike 
gray-eyed.  They  sing  the  same  song,  but 
the  voices  of  young  and  old,  great  and  small, 
are  different. 

^^They  care  nothing  for  grand  palaces  and 
halls,  for  their  hall  is  vaulted  with  the  beau- 
tiful, broad  sky,  its  floor  is  paved  with  lovely 
green  branches,  and  its  walls  are  as  wide  as 
the  world.  They  do  not  ask  for  horses  or 
armor,  having  winged  chariots  on  which  to 
escape  the  hunter. 

*^They  are  high  and  mighty  .lords,  but  I 
don't  know  yet  what  they  are  deciding.  So 
far  as  I  can  learn,  they  plan  a  great  war 

200 


IN  DR.  MARTIN'S  GARDEN 

against  wheat,  barley,  oats,  malt,  and  all 
sorts  of  grain;  and  many  a  one  will  show 
himself  a  hero,  and  do  valiant  deeds.  It 
gives  a  special  delight  to  see  in  how  knightly 
a  fashion  they  stmt  about,  polish  their  bills, 
and  prepare  for  victory  over  the  grain. ' ' 

^^And  this,"  said  Hans,  proudly  unfold- 
ing another  paper,  ^4s  my  own  letter,  the 
first  I  ever  got!  Of  course,''  he  added,  with 
an  air  of  dignity,  ''I  was  just  a  very  little 
boy  then!" 

And  once  more  he  began : 

*^To  my  dear  son,  Hans  Luther.  Grace 
and  peace  in  Christ,  my  darling  little  son. 
I  am  very  glad  to  hear  that  you  are  studying 
well  and  praying  diligently.  Go  on  doing 
so,  my  little  son,  and  when  I  come  home  I 
will  bring  you  a  beautiful  present. 

*^I  know  a  lovely  garden,  where  there  are 
many  children.  They  wear  golden  coats,  and 
pick  up  fine  apples,  pears,  cherries,  and 
plums  imder  the  trees.  They  sing  and  jump 
and  are  very  merry.    They  also  have  beauti- 

201 


MARTIN  OF  ]\IANSFELD 


f  ul  little  horses,  with  bridles  of  gold  and  sad- 
dles of  silver. 

*'I  asked  the  man  who  owned  the  garden 
who  the  children  were.    He  answered, 

^'  'These  are  the  children  who  gladly  pray 
and  study  and  are  good.' 

'^  Then  I  said, 

'*  ^Dear  man,  I  also  have  a  son,  named 
Hans  Luther.  Wouldn  't  he  like  to  come  into 
the  garden,  and  eat  such  beautiful  apples 
and  pears,  and  ride  such  fine  horses,  and 
play  with  these  children?' 

'^Then  the  man  said, 

*'  'If  he  prays  and  studies  gladly  and  is 
good  he,  too,  shall  come  into  the  garden, 
and  his  friends  Lippus  and  Jost  with  him. 
And  when  they  are  all  here,  they  shall  have 
whistles  and  drums  and  lutes  and  all  sorts 
of  things  to  make  music  with,  and  they  shall 
dance  and  shoot  with  little  crossbows.' 

''And  he  showed  me  a  beautiful  meadow  in 
the  garden,  ^ed  for  dancing.  Gold  whistles 
were  hung  there,  and  drums  and  silver  cross- 

202 


IN  DR.  MARTIN'S  GARDEN 


bows.  But  it  was  still  early,  and  the  chil- 
dren had  not  yet  eaten,  so  I  couldn't  wait 
for  the  dance,  and  I  said  to  the  man : 

''  ^Dear  sir,  I  will  go  as  fast  as  I  can,  and 
write  it  all  to  my  dear  son  Hans,  that  he  may 
study  and  pray  well  and  be  good,  and  so 
come  into  this  garden.  But  he  has  an  Aunt 
Lena  whom  he  will  have  to  bring  with  him.' 

^^Then  the  man  said, 

^'  ^  Very  well,  go  and  write  it  to  him.' 

^*  Therefore,  dear  little  son  Hans,  study 
and  pray  bravely,  and  tell  Lippus  and  Jost 
to  do  so,  too,  and  you  shall  all  come  into  the 
garden.  The  dear  God  take  care  of  you! 
Greet  Auntie  Lena  and  give  her  a  kiss  for 
me. 

"Tour  loving  father, 

Maeti:?^  Luther." 

'^Now,  Hans,"  put  in  his  father,  ''the  let- 
ters are  finished,  the  little  bird  is  buried, 
and  the  dew  will  soon  be  falling.  Take  your 
little  sister  and  go  in;  Dr.  Nicholas  and  I 

203 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


will  come  presentl}^,  and  then  we  shall  sing, 
for  it  is  almost  your  bedtime.'^ 

^^It  is  wonderful  to  me,  Martin,"  said 
Nicholas,  as  the  children  disappeared,  '^how 
you  can  always  take  the  time  to  play  with 
your  little  ones,  and  write  to  them,  when 
you  are  busy  with  such  constant  writing, 
lecturing,  and  preaching,  and  often  when 
your  own  heart  must  be  anxious  and  trou- 
bled.'' 

"The  birds  have  been  my  preachers,  dear 
Nicholas,"  said  Dr.  Martin,  pointing  to  a 
low  bough  in  the  shrubbery,  where  a  bird 
sat  quietly  on  her  nest,  almost  within  reach 
of  their  hands. 

'  ^  See  the  little  bird ! "  he  continued.  ^ '  She 
puts  her  head  under  her  wing  and  goes  to 
sleep  secure  in  the  care  of  the  heavenly  Fa- 
ther.   So  ought  we  to  be. 

''There  is  only  one  thing,  dear  friend, 
that  makes  us  happy  and  peaceful  and  free 
from  care.  It  is  the  promise  of  God.  And 
when  we  read  his  Word  and  ask  him  to  take 
care  of  us,  we  can  all  be  happy  together, 

204 


the  wartburg 

a  corner  in  the  wartburg 

Luther's  room 


IN  DR.  MARTIN'S  GARDEN 


though  the  ban  of  the  empire  hangs  over  us 
and  our  fears  and  anxieties  are  many. 
Come,  let  us  go  in  and  sing  together, 

*A  mighty  fortress  is  our  God!'  '* 


205 


THE  LAST  VICTORY 


XYIII 

THE  LAST  VICTORY 

MOTHER,  mother!"  cried  Paul  Lu- 
ther, running  into  the  living-room  in 
high  excitement,  ^^just  think!  Father  is  go- 
ing to  Mansf  eld  next  week,  and  he  says  that 
Hans  and  Martin  and  I  may  go  along  and 
visit  the  cousins  there  and  in  Eisenach ! ' ' 

The  bitter  winter  of  1546  had  laid  its  cold 
hand  on  Wittenberg.  Great  storms  had 
swelled  the  Elbe  to  a  torrent  and  blocks  of 
ice  floated  in  the  tossing  waters. 

The  old,  rambling  monastery  building  was 
cold  and  full  of  unexpected  drafts;  but  in 
the  living-room  the  fire  crackled  cheerily. 

Ten  years  had  brought  many  changes  to 
the  little  group  around  Dr.  Martin's  fireside. 
Hans,  who  followed  Paul  less  eagerly  into 
the  room,  was  a  well-grown  young  man  of 

209 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


almost  twenty.  As  if  to  fulfil  the  dream  of 
the  grandfather  for  whom  he  was  named,  he 
was  beginning  the  study  of  law. 

Martin,  the  younger,  who  sat  reading  by 
the  fire,  was  of  lighter  frame  than  his  sturdy 
brothers.  At  fifteen,  he  was  long  and  lank, 
with  a  look  of  frailty  that  often  caused  anx- 
iety to  the  heart  of  Mother  Katie. 

Margaret,  a  pretty,  lively  girl  of  eleven, 
was  sewing  by  her  mother's  side. 

Sweet  Magdalene  had,  in  her  fourteenth 
year,  left  the  happy  circle  and  gone  to  be 
with  the  Father  in  heaven. 

Dr.  Martin,  coming  in  with  slower  steps 
behind  his  sons,  was  altered  no  less  than  they. 
Ceaseless  toil  and  ill  health  had  set  their 
mark  upon  him.  He  walked  heavily,  and 
Katie's  eyes  clouded  as  she  saw  how  he  la- 
bored in  breathing  after  his  short  walk; 
but  his  eyes  were  bright  as  ever  and  his 
greeting  as  cheery. 

' '  Come  into  my  study,  dear  Katie, ' '  he  said 
to  her,  drawing  her  away  from  the  excited 
little  group  around  the  fire. 

210 


THE  LAST  VICTORY 


^^Dear  husband!^'  exclaimed  Katherine, 
*^  surely  you  are  not  going  again  to  Mansfeld 
in  this  dreadful  weather!'' 

^^I  must,  Katie,"  said  Dr.  Martin  gravely. 
*^The  Counts  of  Mansfeld  have  promised 
that  they  will  try  to  come  to  an  agreement  if 
I  will  act  as  peacemaker  between  them.  I 
have  no  choice  but  to  go." 

**You  have  already  tried  twice,  and  were 
away  from  home  over  Christmas  on  that  ac- 
count," said  Katie,  ^'but  it  failed." 

^^That  was  because  Philip  was  taken  sick 
and  I  had  to  bring  him  home  again,"  said 
her  husband. 

'^The  Counts  have  been  quarreling  a  long 
time,"  persisted  Katie,  rebelliously.  ^^They 
might  just  as  well  wait  till  spring,  and  not 
drag  you  away  from  home  again  in  the  mid- 
dle of  winter,  when  you  have  been  so  much 
troubled  with  illness." 

^^ Their  hearts  are  willing  now,  Katie," 
said  Dr.  Martin.  ^^If  I  wait,  they  may 
harden  again,  and  I  can  do  nothing  with 
them." 

211 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


^'It  is  such  a  foolish  thing  to  quarrel 
about,  anyway !"  said  his  wife,  still  uncon- 
vinced. ^^It  is  something  so  unimportant 
that  hardly  anybody  seems  to  know  what  it 
is  all  about.  Your  health  is  surely  worth 
more  than  the  petty  disputes  of  Count  Geb- 
hard  and  Count  Albert." 

^^The  cause  of  the  quarrel,  indeed,  is  tri- 
fling," said  Dr.  Martin,  thoughtfully,  ^^but 
the  consequences  are  great. 

^^Look,  dear  Katie !  I  have  taken  a  great 
task  on  myself.  I  have  separated  a  vast  body 
of  people  from  the  Church  of  Rome,  and 
have  set  up  a  new  Church  which  is  yet 
feeble.  I  have  proclaimed  that  there  is 
power  in  God's  Word  and  in  his  Spirit,  to 
help  men  live  right,  without  priests  and  con- 
fessors. Nobles  and  people  have  believed  my 
word,  and  have  staked  their  faith  upon  it. 
The  new  Church  stands  in  the  eyes  of  all  men 
as  a  witness  to  the  gospel. 

^^Now  the  brother  Counts  of  my  own 
Mansfeld  are  at  strife.  The  people  see  the 
bad  example.    Our  enemies  say : 

212 


THE  LAST  VICTORY 


**  *This  is  a  sample  of  your  new  freedom  I 
They  might  have  taken  their  quarrel  to  the 
pope,  and  he  would  have  settled  it,  and  set 
them  both  a  penance  to  perform,  and  that 
would  have  been  the  end  of  it.  But  now 
there  is  no  reverence  for  the  Holy  Father, 
and  men  do  whatever  they  please ! ' 

^^  Besides,  the  people  suffer  when  their 
princes  are  at  war.  Often  since  this  trouble 
began  I  have  had  to  present  to  the  Counts 
the  complaints  of  their  people,  who  are  op- 
pressed. 

^^For  my  own  sake  also,  dear  Katie,  I  can- 
not refuse.  When  the  Peasants'  War  arose, 
I  stood  against  it ;  I  rebuked  the  people  for 
rebelling  against  their  rulers;  I  denounced 
their  strife  and  violence.  Must  I  not  preach 
the  same  doctrine  to  the  princes  and  nobles 
if  they  forget  to  keep  the  peace  T' 

Katie,  still  unreconciled,  shook  her  head 
sadly,  but  she  said  no  more.  Silently  she 
spent  the  last  few  days  in  preparing  com- 
forts for  the  winter  journey. 

Across  the  storm-swept  country  the  little 
213 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


company  journeyed  with  much  difficulty  and 
many  halts.  At  Halle,  they  found  their  way 
blocked  for  five  days  by  the  Saale  river, 
which  had  flooded  the  land  with  water  and 
broken  ice. 

To  the  worried  Katie,  Dr.  Martin  wrote 
back,  while  they  waited, 

*^Eead  your  Bible,  dear  Katie,  and  re- 
member that  God  is  almighty  and  could  cre- 
ate ten  Dr.  Martins  if  the  old  one  were 
drowned  in  the  Saale.  Dismiss  your  cares, 
for  I  have  One  who  cares  for  me  better  than 
you  or  angels  can." 

Letters  of  anxious  tone  continued,  how- 
ever, to  come  from  Wittenberg.  Had  he 
kept  his  warm  coat  on?  Was  he  guarding 
against  getting  his  feet  wet  ?  Would  he  re- 
member— and  so  forth,  and  so  forth.  Katie 
was  sure  he  was  taking  all  sorts  of  needless 
risks,  removed  from  her  watchful  eyes. 

^^Most  holy  Lady  Doctoress!"  wrote  Dr. 
Martin  at  last,  endeavoring  to  laugh  away 
her  fears.  ^ '  I  thank  you  kindly  for  the  great 
anxiety  which  keeps  you  awake.    Since  you 

214 


THE  LAST  VICTORY 


began  to  worry,  we  have  almost  had  a  fire 
in  the  inn  just  in  front  of  my  door ;  and  yes- 
terday, due  to  your  anxiety  no  doubt,  a  stone 
nearly  fell  on  my  head,  and  might  have 
squeezed  it  up  as  a  trap  does  a  mouse,  for 
in  my  bedroom  lime  and  cement  had  dribbled 
down  on  my  head  for  two  days,  until  I  called 
attention  to  it,  and  then  the  people  of  the 
inn  just  touched  a  stone  as  big  as  a  bolster 
and  two  spans  wide,  which  thereupon  fell  out 
of  the  ceiling !  For  this  I  thank  your  anx- 
iety, but  the  dear  angels  protected  me.  I 
fear  that  unless  you  stop  worrying  the  earth 
will  swallow  me  up!" 

Meanwhile  the  work  of  reconciling  the 
brother  Counts  proceeded  but  slowly  in  the 
town  of  Eisleben,  which  the  travelers  had  at 
last  managed  to  reach. 

'^The  lawyers  make  it  worse  with  their 
endless  quibbling,"  Dr.  Martin  declared.  ''I 
would  gladly  leave  and  go  home,  but  my 
duty  holds  me. " 

Finally  on  St.  Valentine's  Day,  he  wrote 
to  Katie : 

215 


MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


*^  We  hope  to  come  home  this  week,  for  the 
Counts  have  settled  ahnost  everything,  with 
the  exception  of  two  or  three  points,  among 
them,  that  the  two  brothers.  Count  Gebhard 
and  Count  Albert,  shall  again  be  brotherly. 
To-day  I  am  to  undertake  this,  inviting  them 
to  dine  with  me,  that  they  may  talk  together, 
for  hitherto  they  have  had  nothing  to  say 
to  each  other  and  have  written  very  bitterly 
in  their  letters. 

*'The  young  lords  and  ladies,  on  the  other 
hand,  are  merry,  go  sleigh-riding  together, 
and  play  masquerading. 

^'I  am  sending  you  the  trout  given  me  by 
Countess  Albert.  She  rejoices  with  all  her 
heart  over  the  reconciliation." 

Two  days  later,  the  final  agreement  be- 
tween the  Counts  was  completed,  and  signed 
by  Martin  Luther  as  a  witness.  The  victory 
was  won;  the  brothers  had  met  as  friends 
once  more. 

^^Now  we  can  go  home!"  he  exclaimed  ex- 
ultingly  to  Dr.  Jonas,  when  at  last  the  weary 
business  was  at  an  end. 

216 


THE  LAST  VICTORY 


But  the  exposures  and  hardships  of  the 
journey  had  been  too  much  for  the  weak- 
ened frame. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  eighteenth 
of  February  his  friends  and  his  three  sons 
were  called  in  haste,  to  speed  the  tired  war- 
rior on  his  homeward  way. 

^^The  faith,  dear  father,  which  you  have 
taught,"  said  they,  **is  it  yours  to  the  end?" 

Clearly  and  firmly  rang  out  the  answer, 

^^Yes!" 

Then  the  victor  passed  on  to  his  triumph. 

*^He  died  for  us!"  said  the  reconciled 
Counts,  standing  by  the  quiet  bedside. 

Nay,  not  for  you  alone,  brother  Counts  of 
Mansf eld,  but  for  the  mighty  cause  of  peace 
on  earth,  since  all  men  are  brothers. 


217 


THE   TOECH-BEAREES 


THE  TORCH-BEARERS 

IN"  days  of  old,  when  great  news  came  of 
mighty  happenings  by  land  or  sea,  fleet 
runners  were  chosen  and  equipped  with 
flaming  torches  to  bear  the  word  abroad. 

Up  to  the  beacon  on  the  nearest  hilltop 
ran  the  first,  and  kindled  there  the  flame  that 
told  of  victor}^  Then  another  distant  wait- 
ing athlete  saw  the  flaring  signal  and 
hastened  to  set  the  next  beacon-fire  blazing 
on  its  hilltop. 

On  and  on  went  the  fiery  message  till  all 
the  land  was  lit  with  the  good  news  and  every 
city  and  hamlet  rejoiced. 

So,  after  the  Dark  Ages  there  came  a  man 
who  kindled  the  beacon  of  a  new  day;  and 
the  flaming  torch  he  bore  was  the  Book  of 

221 


]MARTIN  OF  MANSFELD 


God,  given  to  the  people  in  words  that  they 
could  understand. 

Land  after  land  all  over  the  continent  of 
Europe  caught  fire.  Everywhere  the  Bible 
was  translated  into  the  language  of  the  peo- 
ple ;  and  still  the  light  sped  on. 

Then  God  opened  the  doors  of  the  New 
World  by  the  hand  of  explorers  and  discov- 
erers ;  and  wherever  the  Western  Continent 
was  peopled  by  men  and  women  from  the 
lands  of  the  Reformation,  there  may  be 
found  the  open  Bible  and  liberty  of  con- 
science. 

Once  more  God  pointed  the  way,  and  men 
went  forth  to  rediscover  the  ancient  East. 
And  everywhere,  in  the  footprints  of  the 
traveler,  has  gone  the  man  with  the  kindled 
torch. 

Carey  in  India,  Moffat  in  Africa,  Morrison 
in  China,  Judson  in  Burma — the  work  of 
each  has  been  the  same.  Under  foreign  skies, 
through  heat  and  thirst  and  fever,  threatened 
by  enemies,  persecuted  and  imprisoned,  they 
have  toiled  with  the  same  great  purpose  that 

222 


THE  TORCH-BEARERS 


inspired  the  lonely  outlaw  in  the  Wartburg 
— to  spread  far  and  wide  the  Word  of  God, 
in  the  simple,  daily  language  of  the  people. 
And  still  the  flaming  line  flashes  on.  But 
the  hand  that  lifted  the  light  high  and  sent  it 
kindling  on  its  way  was  the  hand,  in  God's 
good  providence,  of  Martin  Luther. 


223 


Date  Due 

Je  2  2  '3r> 

1 

S'i     ■    "      J 

L* 

! 

-^    .^      .      .. 

"■-,■ 

MY  2  5 -53 

1 

f 

BW2220  .S45 
Martin  of  Mansfeld, 

Princeton  Theological  Semlnary-Speer  Librar 


1    1012  00016  7769 


